Red: The Legacy
by Noemie1500
Summary: The current chapter was actually almost done but I had quite a bit of difficulty deciding on the direction I wanted to take on the Pokemon battles.. Post Gold battle at Mount Silver. Reviews welcome.
1. Prologue

「"..."」

My name is Red.

I am the Champion, the Pokedex Holder, the Living Legend.

There are plenty more titles like that attached to my name, but it's all intangible, insubstantial, malarkey.

Would it help me subjugate a raging Tyranitar decimating the mountain range?

Nope.

Would it allow me to survive among the ruins in the vast desert?

Ha.

Would it help me from freezing to death in a [Blizzard] caused by a horde of migrating Delibird?

Nada.

So let's discard these useless strings of words, and restart, with just the bare facts.

My name is Red.

I set out to complete a Pokedex granted by Professor Oak -who, by the way, isn't still kicking the bucket, that geezer- and to challenge the Kanto Pokemon League, striding out into the metaphorical sunset, with my brand new red hat and jacket, at the age of eleven. Nostalgia still burns within me… but I digress. I faced harsh tribulations, found new allies, uncovered dangerous organizations, and triumphed over the gym leaders. With my trusty starter Charmander did we build a team to rival the gods.

It's been nine years since then.

Six years since I challenged the Indigo League, blasting my way through the Elite Four, and facing my rival, Blue. A tough nut to crack, we went head to head up until the last breath, his Blastoise downed by a victorious [Blast Burn] by my Charizard. I hear he's been running Viridian for a while now, still gloating off all the opposition he meets. I became the youngest Champion in Kanto, at age fourteen.

Five years since I've ran off the nefarious Team Rocket from the Sevii Islands, knocking grunts over by the wave. They've got persistence, I'll give them that. Sometimes I just took to setting them on fire with [Flamethrower] on sight, instead of battling.

Four years since I've entered Johto, winning another eight badges, crushing the regional League its champion, and leaving it in chaos without a leader; Lance, the previous Champion, revealed to be a major plotter in the revival of Giovanni's army, incarcerated and sentenced for life. By then, I had long surpassed any trainer I knew, and without any my equal, I secluded myself in Mount Silver.

It's been nigh on three years, that I have trained on this mountain, full of dangerous Pokemon and an especially frustrated Moltres hunting me down. I built a log cabin into the side of the cliff face, camouflaged and inaccessible to the public, raised all sorts of oddities and monsters to their limit, and beat down all who dared seek me.

It's been three years.

And I'm seriously considering getting out of this dung hole.


	2. Chapter 1: Mount Silver

Salamence: The Dragon Pokemon.

Gaining the wings desired from birth as Bagon and Shelgon, Salamence turns into a flying, sweeping tempest upon its evolution. The majority of which is a brash, proud, and often hot-tempered kind, although there are always more docile exceptions.

Their habitat is mainly that of rocky badlands or secluded mountainsides, dwelling alone and away from humans in general. Territorial when settled, Salamence are often considered menaces or in some cultures, guardians, because if angered, they become uncontrollable, to the point of devastating its surroundings to charcoal.

They sometimes migrate in flocks, called a 'boom' of Salamence, as their cruising speed can reach up to supersonic velocities, causing loud eruptions of sound when accelerating to their limits.

Several notable trainers have managed to catch and tame wild Salamence, including Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four and Red, the Champion of the Kanto League. Others often go the long (and easier) way out and start with Bagon, grinding up experience and a bond with their Pokemon.

* * *

It was in the blackest night of nights, gales of wind ripping up white powder with the strength to uproot trees, the cold biting in with the tenacity of Zubat swarms, numbing every extremity, that I met my match.

Although I had thought about leaving this blasted rock ages ago, it was only until a sudden series of events, starting with the appearance of he, that unexpectedly prompted me to leave, in search for another adventure.

This is my story after Mt. Silver, upon my word, as Pokemon Trainer Red.

Now let me emphasize this, runt: it is definitely not easy to reach the summit of Mount Silver, especially in the full brunt of winter. There are deep caves full of blood sucking Golbat, treacherous stalactites and icicles, threatening to fall at the very tremble of the slumbering Moltres in his chambers, and snow. Lots of snow. Enough to bury the tall evergreens, cause city-sized avalanches, drown Kyogre. And yet this kid managed to hike through buried trails, fight off abnormally strong Pokemon (even in winter, the Donphan and the Ursaring still fight each other over land), and reach the top, which was literally engulfed within an all-encompassing, torrential blizzard.

As for me, well, I've sat there for about twenty minutes with almost nothing on. I have like, an eighty percent cold resistance by now after living in the forsaken place.

"..."

"Red? The Champion?" The boy's voice was lost in the storm, swallowed up and ripped apart by gusts and gales.

"..."

"Hello?"

"..."

"Hello? Is this guy dead or something?"

He stepped forward in the fierce wind and stopped.

"...!"

I stood up gingerly, crimson jacket flapping back and forth, wind rippling down my black shirt. To him, it probably seemed like a giant was looming overhead, as tall as a tower and as stolid as Rhyperior, but in reality, I was probably freezing my butt off.

I didn't turn around. No, I couldn't. My shoes were stuck to the icy ground…So the boy did something incredibly stupid. He went up right behind me, and yelled. Soft voices are sucked into the vortex of the blizzard, but loud things are spat out, like rejected trainers with not enough badges at the Indigo Plateau. And up here, at the peak and within the midst of the storm, they echoed. A lot. Should I say, enough to cause an avalanche and bury a remote town at the base of the mountain?

Thus I shut him up with a pokeball to the face. A brilliant throw from behind, with a near perfect accuracy even without sight.

That might've been a dumb mistake in hindsight.

Let's just say my isolation from humanity in one of the most unforgiving terrains on earth left some odd quirks. One of which was having an extensive sense of awareness and danger perception, and the other was learning how to battle in the oddest and most disadvantageous positions, whether upside down, buried waist deep in the snow, *cough*, at the top of a mountain.

I ended up starting a battle at the worst possible place, damnit!

I'd like to note that I went out for a jog about half an hour ago -yes, in the snow. What did you think I was here for?- and was admiring the nice view of….well, the blizzard? I don't remember what I was looking at, don't patronize me!

"Hey! What was that for, I just wanted to challenge you! I'm your successor of the Johto League, Gold!"

While he was yakking on about how I screwed over his entire region and just disappeared like a Misdreavus until he came along, my Pokeball opened in a flash of light, revealing the shadow of a giant Pokemon, blotting out what little light passed through the stormy clouds. It landed with a thud, shaking the earth with it's enormous weight. Avalanches were definitely rolling down the mountain range right now. Sorry, wildlife. I wasn't thinking.

Gold was definitely startled at the sight of my partner, stumbling back against the snow in a panic. He reached behind his back for a Pokeball and expanded it, tossing it forward.

"Is that how it is? Go, Weavile!"

After his Pokemon burst out, snarling at the menace before it, claws and feet digging into the ground with its eyes narrowed. Leaving no time to move, I commanded,

"Snorlax. [Body Slam]."

"Weavile, dodge it!"

With astounding agility, Snorlax stomped on the ground and jetted towards Gold's Pokemon. Leaving nothing to chance, it spread its arms wide, roaring with a terrible loudness, echoing off the peak. But as it fell upon its prey, Weavile scraped against the ground, spraying snow like a blanket, disappearing from sight. It reappeared behind it, escaping the behemoth's grasp.

"Now, [Icy Wind]! Freeze it up!"

"Snorlax, jump! [Earthquake!]"

As streams ice breath streamed towards Snorlax, the Pokemon suddenly tensed, exploding upwards in a cloud of powder snow. At a terrifying height, it fell down, and upon hitting the floor, whipped up an enormous wind followed by an even larger tremor. Everything shook like mad; the mountain was shivering in its stolid state. Sounds of rumbling aftershocks resounded deep underground, and I knew that the caverns were in a complete frenzy.

The Weavile appeared extremely shaken as the cloud dissipated, knees quivering and clinging tightly on the ground. It couldn't even stand up after bearing [Earthquake]. Snorlax lumbered up to it, already prepping another [Body Slam], but a trick movement appeared at the edge of our vision. All too late, Weavile struck back.

"Weavile, [Faint Attack!]"

"Jump back, Snorlax!"

Both moved in an instant, but Weavile caught up to the larger Pokemon and planted a sucker punch to the forehead. A small shock wave emitted, and it was clear that this Weavile was much stronger than it looked. I couldn't recall Snorlax in this snowstorm, so it was exasperating to watch the shadow swiftly barrage my partner in a flurry of kicks, hits, and punches.

"[Ice Punch!] Again! And again!"

Snorlax roared, and tried to grasp at it, but the nimble pokemon evaded with ease. Another bellow, a fierce critical hit to the head, and the larger combatant hit the ground, thrashing about until it fainted.

"Recall."

I strided forth and tapped the ball on the head, sucking Snorlax into it and glared at the perpetrator. He was watching intently, his Weavile still in fighting stance. It was; however, panting roughly, so the super effective [Earthquake] had certainly put it reeling to almost the point of unconsciousness.

"...!"

"What? I'm ready for anything you throw at me. Bring it!"

Hmm. Could I have met my match, a true competitor other than deadbeat Blue and villain-of-all-villains Lance? ...Nah. I just screwed up badly right there. Even terrain would be easy bait win.

"...Come."

I strode past him down the peak. Battling here would be a mistake, in that it was bad conditions for me and that I might destroy a national habitat underneath us. Plus, I'm freezing with just these light clothes.

I winded down the snowy mountain at a quick lope, a huffing and shivering trainer trailing behind me, who was uttering curses to the air. We passed fallen drifts, buried treetops, and tons of loosened boulders strewn across the landscape. All the way down the valley...sweeping over the edge of civilisation. Uh… I think we did a lot more damage than that [Earthquake] afforded. Note to self. Stay away from the Mt. Silver ranger squad for a year or two.

It was about half an hour later that we arrived at a log cabin, sunken underneath at least ten feet of snow. All that remained to identify the dwelling was a partially uncovered wooden top, snowmelt running down a smoky pipe. I kicked aside the piles blocking my doorway, eventually able to pull the door open. Inside, a yellow friend perked up from a cushion before a small fireplace.

My abode was a quaint cottage, only the size of an apartment room, with no amenities, and stuck in the middle of the stark wild…..Yeah. Not so quaint.

A kettle was boiling within the fireplace; the fragrant scent of fresh mountain water and a little pinch of special herbs wafting around. I retrieved it out and poured myself a cup of tea, sitting gingerly by a small oaken tabletop.

The kid was just standing outside the open doorway, huffing.

"Haah… haah… you… what are… you doing!"

"...Tea?"

"...What the heck?"

"...?"

"...!?"

One staring contest with a red faced, angry bundle of fur later, Gold was sitting by Pikachu, rubbing its head while drinking my exquisite (and naturally free) tea. He had taken off his bundles of cloth to reveal a red and white sweatshirt, and knee length black sweatpants. I, well, didn't really need to take off anything, wearing my favorite matching blazer and hat, and the usual blue jeans. Although I was wearing almost nothing in the cold, my locks were damp with sweat.

Gold put down his tea with a clack against the floor.

"...Uh...about that battle…"

"...?"

I looked at him questioningly. I just want to go back to bed and hibernate, damnit! What else does this guy want from me?!

"Are we going to finish that battle we started?"

"..."

Yup. As expected. All these trainers never change. All of them are freaking battle junkies! The last time I was challenged, collecting potluck ingredients down in the valley at the time -yes, I can cook, thank you very much, you lowly, impertinent grunt- the guy, a veteran dragon tamer, was beaten down black and blue. But he showed up at my door the next day, the bruise where his Dragonite landed on his face still showing, demanding a rematch. He'd show up the next day and the next, even though I threatened to report him to the Kanto police force. The tamer just laughed it off, and I did call the police -I'm very serious about my personal privacy- and had him dragged off to the slammer. I won't be seeing him for a good while yet.

You know, I'm a quiet guy. I just want to live in a monster-infested hideout in peace, you know?!

"Hey? Silent treatment again? Do you even have any friends, Mr. Champion?"

Ouch. That hit a nerve. I ought to thrash this guy to a millimeter of his life with my Charizard. Fry him up and toss him in the air a couple times, at 5000 meters above sea level. Over a cliff. Yeah.

"...Of course I do."

"Sorry about that…"

 ***knock knock***

Me and Gold turned towards the door, hands tensed on our pokeballs. Another person today? That's pretty rare circumstances. The doorknob rattled a bit, and the muffled voice of an annoyed acquaintance yelled beyond the door.

"Hey! Red, you lazy introvert, I know you're inside! Open the door or I'm busting it down, pronto!"

"..."

"...Do you know the guy outside?"

"He's a friend."

I unlocked the door and it creaked open slightly, one eye peering out at my longstanding rival. His boot was held up, as if he was about to kick the hinges off the door. Hey! This thing is expensive, you know! Don't just go vandalizing other people's property, just because I left you outside in the snow! He stopped, startled, and put his foot down. A grin rose to his face as he smirked in his black corduroy shirt. A Pidgeot was also standing outside, steam rising from its plume of feathers as it settled down.

"About time, boyo. Any longer than this and I would've been stoned to death by the cold." He shivered. "Anyways, let me in already!"

"...Blue." I swung the door open, and Blue recalled his Pidgeot, stomping in. Oi, you're leaving muddy trails on my floor! He stripped his shirt and stepped out of his boots, to sit on my chair and begin pouring himself a cup of my tea... Stop it now before I get really mad. I don't see you for years, and you walk in like you already own my house?

I glared intensely at Blue for a good couple of minutes, hoping he would get the hint. Nope. Just the pompous, egotistical, insensitive, cool guy, airhead I've always known. If only Old man Oak beat some sense into him while he was working at his lab as a researcher…

He finished all of my tea, and strode over to Pikachu and Gold, rubbing the little rodent's head. "So who's this guy?", pointing at my guest.

"Challenger."

"...Tight lipped as usual, huh." He yawned and stretched his arms, diving into my mattress. As if sensing the Pokeball in my hand, containing my Charizard, he held up a hand. "Give me a moment, I flew all the way here from the Mt. Silver Pokemon Center."

"..."

"..." (Gold)

"...zzz" (Blue)

"Aight. Someone let me in, what's going on? Red, are we finishing our battle?"

"Not right now. I'm pissed.", sitting on Blue in the process, who groaned under my weight.

I moved over to lean on his head, and he muttered, "Ok, ok, sheesh. How unwelcoming of you to treat an old pal like that."

"How welcoming of you to vandalize my place like that." The sarcasm dripped out like Arbok venom.

He opened an eye. "Gramps wants you. I don't know for what, but it was enough for him to harass me to go and get you." He bent forward, pushing me off him. "Aight. Let's go."

"...Huh? Wait just a moment, I was in the middle of something right here, right now. If you're taking my chance to beat my rival, then I'll just have to beat you down."

Blue sneered, an eyebrow raised in an arsenic smirk. "Your rival? You've gotten it all wrong, little boy. As the former champion of the Kanto league, I'll take you up on your offer and whip your ass while I'm at it." He took out a pokeball and expanded it, a Tyranitar nestled menacingly within. Huh? Wait, are you two thinking of duking it inside of my cabin? I'll kill you, you know. I'll slaughter you two and bury your bodies underneath the ocean…

"...!" I brusquely whacked my rival in the head, and with a fluid motion, called upon Pikachu to electrocute the other. "Out.", I commanded, all the rains of hellfury and spawn generated by the raging titans of lava and sea above my head like a raging thunderstorm. Blue looked alarmed at my sudden change in mood for the extreme worse, and shelved his pokeball.

"Let's talk this over, shall we, Red?" He grimaced.

"...Get your Pidgeot ready, we're going to Pallet."

"Huh? We're going? What about that one, over there?" Blue looked at the knocked out, smoking trainer slumped against the floor.

"Take him too."

"...We're already at kidnapping?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell Oak it was your idea."

I retrieved a tarp from underneath my bed, and with the help of Blue, extinguished the embers in the fireplace. Going outside, I called Charizard, and with an aptly aimed [Flamethrower], wiped off the remaining ice from the roof and flung the tarp over, sticking some picks into the revealed bedrock of Mt. Silver.

If I didn't do at least this much, by the time I come back -if I come back- the whole place would be encased within forty feet of blocky ice.

Dressed in a dark parka, I boarded Charizard with my necessities and bundled Pikachu, who was sneezing all over, and with Blue and his unconscious luggage, took off to the skies. The accursed mountain of where I had spent residency for three years, diminished in height but still remaining conspicuously large, ranges branching to the north and south horizon with no end in sight. Note to self. Attempt aerial painting of Mount Silver on return.

Away, away from solitude and seclusion, from the freezing cold and rampaging Pokemon of the wild, away from the deadly avalanches and grueling training!

I breathed a sigh of resentment and relief, before a thought struck me with utter horror: How do I communicate with society again?


	3. Chapter 2: Pallet Town

Venusaur: The Seed Pokemon.

Usually two meters in height and four feet in width, some Venusaur can grow to the size of small buildings. The symbiotic plant on its back has bloomed and sprouted in comparison to its Ivysaur devolution, and has become part contributor to the omnivore diet.

Found rarely in the wild, Venusaur pods are observed mainly in intensely remote and secluded grasslands. Where they meet, it is not unexpected to observe secondary succession plants growing. Their regenerative effects on local fauna is best noted in restimulating forested environments where fires have previously devastated the area.

The symbiote on Venusaur's back is an interesting phenomenon, by abiding by the Pokemon's will it can perform tasks like gathering solar energy for [Synthesis] or [Solar Beam], or releasing scents and spores for the use of attacks like [Sweet Scent], [Poison Powder], or [Sleep Powder].

Venusaur have been considered as potential sources of solar power within the last several decades; Its generally docile disposition, low disruption value to rural areas, and seemingly efficient generator have enabled it to be a candidate to several startup research projects. However, the rarity of the Pokemon in itself has found itself to be a major roadblock in any commercial power scheme until ways to faster evolve Ivysaur are found.

* * *

It was deep into the night did we arrive at Pallet, stars glittering stagnantly above the rural village. A sight less deep and mysterious than usual, as light pollution from Viridian seeped into the forest and met the two stolid gas lamps by the Route 1 entrance. Not much had changed after that; the country houses sprawled along the wayside, albeit one or two more than usual, and the towering Oak laboratory overlooking the waterfront. Herds of Pokemon could be seen nestling along the tree line in the moonlight, and several bleated in fear as the shadow of a large, flying predator swept above.

"...Land, Charizard."

The beast grunted, smoke puffing out of his nostrils and streaming behind him… onto me. Without nary a sound (excluding strangled choking), we dropped altitude alarmingly, Charizard folding his great wings and diving towards the ground. 500 meters.. 300 meters... 50 meters… 5 meters…! Jolting backwards, he extended with extenuous strain to unfold and halt, flapping precariously on the ground to lessen the assault that washed over us, both of nausea and inertia. Oi. Stop that. Every time you do that, I lose a year of my life, you know?

We landed on the main road of Pallet, the warm gravel unstable beneath our toes. It seemed that Pikachu was in an especially good condition tonight, managing to get up faster than I had after Charizard's antics. Blue passed by above, his Pidgeot touching down elegantly, a good distance away from my giant carnivorous reptile.

Returning our carriers in a gleam of red, Blue picked up the corpse sleeping kidnapee and we stealthily crept over to our house. The windows were dark, and despite the fact that the next house was over a hundred meters away, the neighbor had a startlingly good ear and would wake the town up in a rancor if he heard a peep from the lawn. Our lawn.

I tried the door, varnished in a new coat of gray -it matched the window frames- and rummaged in my black hole of a bag for the spare keys. As a trainer, or as a survivalist, you either go with nothing or everything, and honestly it's better to go with everything.

Hyper potion. Nope

Ultra balls. Nope.

Escape rope. Nope.

"Heeeyyy, this body is getting heavy….", Blue whispered.

"Shaddup, if the coppers hear you, you're good as dead. Lay him against the floor. No, not the porch, on the dirt, it creaks like crazy."

I actually spent a day, oh so many years ago, testing which floorboards in the house -the whole freaking house- creak on a level of one to ten. Ah, memories…. I was so bored back then.

Revival herb. Nope.

Eon flute. Nope.

Destiny knot. Nope.

Town map. Nope.

Uber foldable bike. Nope.

Wait, that's awesome. Why don't I use that more? Oh wait, I was stuck on a mountain…

Reaching further into the supposedly Key Items part of the christened 'black hole bag', I brushed against some lint, and a gaping hole.

"..."

"..What?"

"Lost it."

We both turned a shade more pallid.

"...Now what do we do."

"...Window."

"Are you serious?"

"It's summer. Mother always keeps at least one window slightly open to let the air flow in."

Thus began our second operation: "Window Break". Getting a rusty window to open was actually much harder than it looks, and after about fifteen minutes of fiddling and jarring and silent cursing we managed to lift the thing open. Pikachu went in first, jumping in incredible acrobatics and rushing upstairs… hey, don't leave us down here. Open the door!

I went in next, and with a good deal of grunting and Blue shoving from behind, toppled in -silently- onto the floor. I unlocked the back door and Blue came in hauling the corpse body. We went upstairs, where a sleeping Pikachu was relaxing the bed, and dumped Gold on him. After settling my pack and checking to see if Mother's room was silent, I showed Blue out the door - after he already freaking raided my coffee and chips from the kitchen. So it's not just limited to my house huh, but my parent's house? I'll make sure Oak hears about this…

I changed my clothes to a more settling corduroy brown, and after tucking both the rat and the kid in, I laid on the couch to nod off.

I woke up at about six in the morning, the soft flashing of the Pokedex light hitting my face point blank (otherwise, how do I wake up?). Yawning, I shrugged off the dredges of sleep and making a cup of herbal tea. It was only until dawn did Mother descended downstairs. We yawned, she made some coffee, sat down with me, and we drank for a good while.

It was only until twenty minutes later did she realize the gravity of the situation, and with a "Oh, Red? Glad to see you've come home, darling." I grunted, like the serious father reading the newspaper (although Pallet didn't run a local newspaper; everyone knew each other's affairs like the back of their hand).

...This is no good. I can't even have a normal conversation with my mother? What do I talk to her about? 'How is the weather?' 'Oh, the championships were an easy snitch, all of my pokemon are a-ok!' 'Geez, sorry for not coming back for years to train in one of the harshest places of the world?' I'm screwed. If I can't do this, how do I face society?!

While I was in the midst of a self-imposed soliloquy, Mother rose up and ruffled my hair gently. Rising out of my stupor, she said, "Red, I know you've been busy training. Oak sometimes comes over with letters sent from the Mount Silver Pokemon Center, trying to decipher the chicken scratch that is your writing."

Ah, I forgot about that. You know, seclusion is very lonely, even for an introvert like me. Sometimes I just feel the urge to get in touch with others. So I 'pen' letters. Good ole Farfetch'd feathers dipped in Octillery ink letters. Not that I imagined it'd go anywhere, though. The Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center, she nods and smiles when she take my mail, but I know she probably throws it out in the back. Everybody does. Wait, did she just leak an insult at the end of that speech?

I have a Pokedex that can video call others? Hahaha. Do I have to bang it through your thick skull that I live on a mountain? What reception? The thing is literally a scrap piece of metal I'd feed to the fireplace as fuel if not for the precious research info inside.

"But now that you're finally home, will you be staying a while before traveling again?"

"...yes, Mother."

It was at that moment Gold walked downstairs into the kitchen, yawning. I gave him some coffee, he sat down, we drank like three old people. Ah, retirement…

"So this one is…"

"Gold. Sorry to intrude on your home, Red's mother."

"Ah, nice to meet you, Gold."

I'm really at a loss here, but I'll go along with it. It's less of a struggle to just go with the flow, anyhow. I stood up, stretching my back, before going back up into my used room, the bed sheets ruffled up and thrown back. As much as it is disorienting for one to wake up in a foreign environment -I should know, I was once carried off by a group of Clefairy in Mount Moon while sleeping, leading to a two month detour in the maze of mines that network underneath the blasted rock- I'll probably just let him sit there before I finish my errand.

 _He won't be mad when he realizes he's in a different region, will he?_ Picking up the heavy knapsack, I roughly shoved the prone form of Pikachu, snoring on the bed. Hey, you've been hibernating all year in the mountains, are you still going to be lazy?

As I went back down the stairs, the footsteps were subtly louder than I remember it. I haven't gained a lot of weight, have I?

Opening the front door, I said, "...I have something to do right now, I'll be back around lunch, I guess."

"Ok, dear."

"Aight."

It was only until I left the house and was a good twenty meters away did a resounding, "HEYY! Don't leave me behind!" echo from the house.

"..."

I left about ten minutes later with Gold in tow.

Professor Oak's laboratory, also known to the young scamps of yore as 'Old Man's Bluff, was on the south side of Pallet, arching up over the sleepy town. With its whitewashed walls and sleek metal finishing, the research facility was quite conspicuously out of place from the rural farmland, short grasslands and verdant forests. Suspicious… Looking back at it, I'm starting to think this was all a real estate conspiracy… I bet Old Man Oak can sell the thing off for a good deal of pokedollars..

Aside from the costly value of the land Oak used for his laboratory studies, he owned a lot of space in general, just for raising and nurturing the captures sent to him by his Pokedex holders. Habitats were specially construed that was even more bizarre than the lab: artificial hills with underground tunnels and rock formations, used to shelter Graveler and Zubat, Whismur and Cleffa, a giant magnet within an old hut, which attracted Magnemite and other electric-type pokemon daily, and even a manmade coral reef by the water's edge, with specially portioned and dammed sections for freshwater and saltwater habitats. Hey, with all that money you spent on this, are you secretly a very powerful person, professor?

During the whole walk over, Gold became increasingly excitable as we neared the pokemon habitats laid before the research facility. All the common pokemon found in Kanto, was like a complete alien species to him… well, it probably is. But he went so far to almost jump the fence into one of the pokemon habitats for Rhyhorn… I doubted his sanity after nearly getting gored in the shoulder hauling him out. Dangerous places aren't for children, you know? We settled his sulky attitude by giving him Pikachu to pet, much to the annoyance of the little rodent, ultimately ending up to pulled cheeked and electrocution. Hey, it was his fault this time.

We found the professor at the ranch, where Miltank and Tauros roamed around grassy, expansive pens. He bent down abnormally, head almost touching his brown corduroy sneakers, back stuck out in an awkward jut. Almost like a Dodrio with its head stuck into the ground. Almost. He noticed the footsteps behind him, and wrung his hands helplessly, a meek look plastered on his upside-down face.

"Ah, hello you two, would you mind helping an old man out…"

"..."

"..."

After we pushed down the old man laid the professor down on the ground to pound half an hour's work into his solid iron back muscles -do you spend your life bent down like that, just staring at the ground?- we finally managed to uncurl old man Oak. He thanked us, and brought us to the laboratory.

Among the subtle whirring of machines, scurrying lab assistants measuring and collecting species data, and brightly lit rooms full of shelves of pokeballs -this guy is a monster, he has enough pokemon to commit to a war, wait, isn't that my fault?- we arrived at his office, consisting of a black obsidian table, two squares meant as chairs, a laptop, and a plaque above Oak's seat that said: "Professor Oak, Ph.D. in Pokemon Philosophy, Mechanics, Environmental Systems, Biology. Certified by the National Kanto Pokemon Research Committee."

Yeah. It was a long plaque. Besides an obvious lack of interest in furnishing/ or a complete interest in minimalism, and that the room looked either like a prison cell or psychiatric ward, the professor's attire matched similarly, dressed in an opened white labcoat over a red flannel shirt.

So Oak sat down behind the desk -It was easy to see that the chair was the source of all his back problems so please, get an ergonomic chair for yourself, you rich old man!- and Gold sat in the opposite, while I just leaned against the corner, trying to look as casual as I could and not like a hired Rocket goon. The professor looked at the two of us with purveying eyes, and placed his hands on the tabletop, worn out with years of handling and fieldwork.

"Hello! Sorry to keep you waiting! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! My name is Oak. People call me Pokémon Prof. This world is inhabited by creatures that we call Pokémon. People and Pokémon live together by supporting each other. Some people play withPokémon, some battle with them. But we don't know everything about Pokémon yet. There are still many mysteries to solve. That's why I study Pokémon every day. Now, what did you sa-"

Pikachu interrupted with a well-timed thundershock to the forehead. Old man Oak, for he was old enough for Alzheimer's to set in and forget who I was, and thusly should be named Great-gramps Oak, fell out of his square of a chair, stunned.

"...Oi. Gramps. Who am I, again?"

"Hahahaha… It's been a long while since I've been hit so rudely in the middle of a discussion like that, you know? But that brings up good memories… Pikachu, it's been awhile, hasn't it? Now who is your trainer now, was it Bread or something?"

I was *this* close to dropping a Snorlax in the building, while Gold was laughing mirthlessly, but then Blue busted in -without knocking, as per ritual- and proclaimed, "Yo, old man! Red is here!", like we were in the middle of a stand-up comedy.

"Ah, Red, was it! It's been so long, I forgot, hahahaha! You've always been a silent character, my boy, so I never really had much of an impression of you…"

"...!"

I'll throw him off a cliff, dammit! Lemme at 'im!

"Enough with the pleasantries. Spit it out, _old man_. Why did you call me here?" I abandoned all vestiges of courtesy, and Oak grimaced as he was reminded of his age.

"Ah, well, there is a certain project I want you to participate in for me, so….-well, first, let's meet our young fellow right here! What's your name, laddie?"

Now being noticed again, Gold perked up, sweltering a bit between the tense atmosphere between a Zangoose and a Seviper, and a lax Spinda, looking the other way like his interruption hadn't just happened.

"My name is Gold, and I am the current Champion of Johto!"

"Oh, is that so? That's good for you. I remember when Red faced off against Blue at the Indigo Championships six years ago, that was a memorable event, with the ceiling having holes melted through it, and the stands flooded with water to the entrances…. hahaha….haha…ha. *cough* Well, anyway, I don't participate in watching matches so much now in my older years, being too busy in my work (and too lazy to go downstairs to watch the TV)..."

Casually brushed aside in Oak's digression, Gold was cowed.

"...Where was I again? Ah yes, Gold, if you are a champion, would you like to participate in this 'experiment', too?"

I butted in. "First of all, speak plainly about what this 'experiment' is. I rather not get involved like a lab rat without any legal contracts, per se."

"Geez, I managed to rope Blue into doing it though through the same method, I was sure it would work this time…"

"Huh? What did you just say?"

"Nothing." "Shaddup."

The professor wryly grinned, holding up his palms as if in surrender. "What I want for you two is to participate is to travel to a new region, and participate in its Pokemon World Tournament. It will be held in Unova," He flipped around the laptop, exposing a map of a place unfamiliar to me. "In the city of Driftveil."

"This should be a good thing for Red, who wants to meet stronger and more diversified matches but has been unable to in isolated Mt. Silver, and Gold, who wants to hold onto his Champion position. If I remember correctly, the Johto League preliminaries are held next year, every two years?"

"Yes, that's right. I want to become stronger to hold onto this position I've recently been granted."

I was not as impressed. "What's in it for you, professor? I doubt that you'd give us this opportunity from the goodness in your heart."

"Quick to catch on, as always, Red. Blue, did you bring the devices?"

"Yup. Straight from the programmers." Blue took out two red gadgets from his back pocket, tossing them to Oak in one movement. There was a mad scrabbling by the arthritic old man, as he tried to catch the objects, and when he rose up from the ground, panting, he glared at his grandson with a look that could kill.

"If you try that again, your body will be hung outside Cerulean Cape where _nobody_ will ever find you." _Woah. You were speaking pretty seriously there for a moment, professor. I almost thought you wanted to kill him._

He sighed, and put it in our hands gingerly. "What is in it for me, is that you two can help collect data on Unovan pokemon with these new version pokedexes. They cost a fortune, so Red," He looked into my soul, and my soul quavered back at him. "If Pikachu or another pokemon fries it again beyond repair, my spirit will haunt you like a Ghastly until you die."

While messing around with the power button, Gold said, "Unova pokemon… hey, didn't you skip a couple regions right there? Sinnoh, Hoenn, aren't those two pretty important?"

The Professor cleared his throat. "I have those bases already covered. Two kind trainers, Lucas and Dawn, are under Professor Rowan's authority and are collecting data right now, and Brendan under Birch is scouring Hoenn. All is left is Unova and Kalos; Kalos of which is currently inaccessible at the moment due to region hostility, although it is currently in interregional negotiations with the other regions to allow travel for commercial traders."

"...So when is it held? How do you know there is a challenge waiting for me there? Do I get any monetary recompense" -I rubbed my index finger and my thumb at this moment- "for traveling expenses?"

I'm quite broke at the moment, spending hundreds of thousands of poké on revives, full restores, hyper potions, escape ropes, and full heals during my training. Income from battling was meager, if at all, since barely anybody gets to me anyway. That might've been a downside to hiding a hut in the side of a mountain…

"Hmm? Are you still a dependency? Don't you have a mother?"

"Did you think Mother even gave me money at the start of my journey, nine years ago? Just a pat on the back and a 'good luck'. Sir, welcome to Sparta. Now, the money. This is a business negotiation, not a road trip."

Blue laughed, and held out his hand as well. "Good thinking, mate. Gramps, I need money too…"

"Shut up. I wouldn't give any money to a unfrugal kid like you until I die. I made sure I left out your inheritance in the will anyway, you bottomfeeder. The last time I checked your balance, the entire college fund was shelled off to dinner for forty! You scamp, you rapscallion!" _Cut off at the hip! Medic, we've got a frothing man over here!_

"Red, I'll wire you the money through the PC when you get to Unova and pay for the plane tickets. But I only want you to hold onto it, I don't trust" -he pointed at Blue, who was keeled out on the floor- "that guy."

 _K.O.! Ouch, the hate ran deep. What did you do to deserve that, Blue? Buy a car or two for your girl?_

"...And the other questions?"

"The competition starts in a month, and for your second question…"

"What?"

"Ah, yes. All the region gym leaders, short of Kalos's, and the current and former champions of each region will be participating. This is a really big tournament, you know?"

Gym Leaders? Champions? Sounds like a match made for me.

"... I'm in."

"Let us see you trounce the rivals, Red."

We shook hands, I signed a written contract, and we decided to leave by the end of the week. I might be a lab rat for something ludicrous again, but it seemed that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages by a long shot.

As I stood at the front door, I suddenly remembered something urgent.

Wait. Didn't I just promised my mother earlier that I'd be staying a while? Oh crap.

 _I'm so dead._


	4. Chapter 3: Pallet Town 2

Eevee: The Evolution Pokemon.

An urban species, Eevee is a genetic marvel that has the ability to evolve in multiple forms, in accordance with its surrounding environment. A brown and cream colored quadruped, Eevee is known for its uniquely unstable DNA structure, which contains an additional base. This base is not found in any other organism on Earth other than in fossils of Mew, and because it is composed of trace amounts of radioactive substance, it is extremely prone to mutating in response to external stimuli.

Currently, there are several known stimuli that can activate an Eevee's evolution, including that of evolutionary stones and certain habitats. The area around a certain mossy rock in Eterna Forest has reportedly been able to produce Leafeon, one of Eevee's branch evolutions. Another possible link to this pokemon's evolution is affection; leading to the appearance of Espeon and Umbreon, two diametrically opposed breeds in both temperament and abilities, as well as Sylveon, a recently discovered species whose background is shrouded in mystery.

Because of the diversity of the possibilities when training Eevee, many trainers have used the pokemon in competitive play to fill a large variety of niche positions. Vaporeon, Espeon, and Sylveon are notorious players in League Cups, and all relatively have superior abilities and hidden abilities. Espeon, specifically, has the hidden ability Magic Bounce, which allows it to repel stat lowering status moves, non-damaging status condition-inducing moves, entry hazard moves, and so on. This ability sets Espeon out as a major offensive wall and threat to the competitive metagame.

Otherwise, many trainers love their Eevee as it is and have them carry around an Everstone to prevent it from evolving. Eevee's fawning and impish nature makes it a popular pokemon within the pokemon community, some starring in their own television shows or in PR advertisements.

* * *

Gold and I left Professor Oak's lab after confirming the tickets to the S.S. Anne, which was scheduled to depart for Unova at the end of the month. That gave us approximately a fortnight to get to Vermillion, a week and a half trip (which could be done in a day upon Charizard, if one wanted to regret living for the next month); therefore, we decided to spend the next few days lounging around Pallet -and delaying the momentous news to Mother. She was nonchalant when we arrived back at the residence, already sweeping out the floors with a somnolent Mr. Mime (who, oldened along the years, has become quite a cranky old stooge).

To my surprise, the small vegetable garden she was tending so long ago had become something of an enigma; there were vines and bushes and Budew tangled about within a miniature jungle, which had sprouted from previous memory as a docile plot, with nubs of basil and tomato plants poking out from the soil. Mother had apparently forgotten about ever tending to plants, or simply gave up the backbreaking chore, several months after my initial departure, and lo and behold, the wild Viridian forest pokemon (and Oak's fugitive escapees) had gathered to form a little community within the untrimmed brambles. It made quite a startling contrast with the neatly manicured lawn at the front of the house that I and Blue broke into yesterday.

This wilderness was where we spent the whole afternoon, I mowing the grasses that swarmed like Beedrill towards the back porch, and Gold performing midday radio calisthenics under the sun with his pokemon and Pikachu. The solitary shouts of the DJ from his Pokegear wafted across the yard, in beat with the exercisers, and beads of sweat could be seen staining the dark fur of Gold's Weavile.

"One, two, three, four! Put your back in it, bend down, stretch out!"

"Five, six, seven, eight! Reach up and arch left, then arch right!"

 _Ahh, youth. The Johto Pokegear have advanced by leaps and bounds since I was able to sneak a peek at the exclusive prototype, back during the Silph Co. technology exhibition. It used to be just a digital wrist watch to call your mother with, how embarrassing…_

The newly received Pokedex in my shorts pocket began to vibrate, and I rested my arm on the mower handle, flipping it open with my other hand. Looking at the caller ID, a very functional tool in the age of shameless advertisements and prank calls, the call appeared to be from the devilishly annoying and apparently useless dependent, my rival.

...Nope. I already dealt with you an hour ago, why are you harassing me again?

I sighed, and 'answered' the phone.

"Hallu? This is the Red residence, "

"Oh hey, Red! How you doin! I just snuck out with one of these thingamabobs and it's great! Did you know that you can even download Pong and Tetris on this thing! Needless to say, I used Gramps credit card to pay for…"

Already tired of his rambling, I laid the device gently on the porch, and resumed my siege against the lawn demons.

After a grueling fistfight with the weeds that remained after I chopped up the tall grass, I laid stretched out on the veranda, fully satisfied with being able to finally see visible ground. No more Rattata and Spearow nests on my property! Looking lazily at the Pokedex, I could see the call time in faded black, flashing: 36:17.

...Wait, were you so desperate to talk to someone? I commend you on your dedication, but that's just sad…

Gold trundled over, his calisthenics finished, and his outline blocking out the harsh glare of the sun, nearing the midday zenith. Now that I look at him, he was shorter than me by a head, his mid-length hair poking out in sharp locks from his custom gold and black hat. Glistening sweat ran down his arms, well toned and sculpted. He must have spent a good time living near the beach in his youth… On the other hand I'm as pale and as wiry one could get. Instead of jogging on sandy paths I ran throughout underground mazes and snow drifts.

"..."

"What?"

He sat down next to me, legs dangling out over the edge of the gallery.

"It sure is nice out here, isn't it? I was considering whether to report you to the police this morning when I woke up in the middle of Timbuktu, but after meeting Professor Oak, getting a brand new Pokedex, and seeing the great backyard of Pallet, I might just disregard it. It'll depend on how much fun you can give me in Unova, though."

Did he just smirk at me? Should I have just dumped this leech at the Mount Silver Pokemon Center?

"...?￢ﾀﾝ

"Ah! That's right! Red, battle me right now, let's finish what we started on Mount Silver."

"...Bring it."

We stalked out towards the freshly mowed field, and expanding our pokeballs, we prepared to duel. _Kanto Champion vs Johto Champion, go!_

Two bursts of light flashed, and our second revealed pokemon appeared. Gold's Noctowl gave a triumphant squawk as it descended to the ground, and was met with an opposing growl by my one and only Venusaur before rearing up again. _Oh, intelligent predator of the skies, bow to your god!_ Like my Snorlax who was extremely large for its size, almost reaching the tip of a story building in height, Venusaur planted out over the space of a small room, its petals each the length of a kid. As they say, bigger is better.

My first attack will be retribution for Snorlax.

 _Witness my pokemon's power!_

"[Frenzy Plant]!"

The petals on Venusaur's back pulsed green, and the frantic roots underneath its feet swelled and burst from the ground. Growing thicker than the stems of small trees, they lashed out with startling flexibility.

"Back, Noctowl, back up!"

The roots narrowly missed the startled bird as it flapped away, but they veered back and lashed the wings with brutal force. Noctowl are lesserly-known for their application of echolocation with their superior vision, so it was no surprise that it managed to dodge at the last second the first time with its honed speed.

"...Begin charging."

Since the main objective of weakening Noctowl was secured, I moved the strategy towards another direction. The roots ducked down towards Venusaur and began curling around it like a twister, covering up the main body of the pokemon. Although the top was left uncovered, the living shell would move to attack anything that came right from above.

It was a technique created from observing the use of [Spiky Shield] by another pokemon. A defense that dealt damage with contact could be applied with manipulation of [Razor Leaf], but this was more versatile in terms of cooperation with other attacks, and would not be blasted away with something like [Gust].

Little known from the outside, since the roots also functioned as a dense cover, the flower on Venusaur's back was glowing steadily.

"What is this trickery! Noctowl, [Air Slash]! Wipe it all out!"

With a single flap, Noctowl responded mercilessly, sending a wave of air that dug into the ground, leaving a ditch. It struck the side of the mass of roots, leaving a deep chink in the armor, but which was quickly enveloped and closed up. Also unlike a razor leaf wall, this defense was regenerative based on the Venusaur's energy. And with mine this powerful, it was a only drop in a bucket to maintain it. _Talk about being absurdly overpowered. One would have to roast the entire mass alive to take it down._

However, it didn't stop Gold and his pokemon from perceiving what lay within the defense.

"Get in close, and use [Psychic] to break it open!"

 _You've activated my trap card! Hahahaha, face your demise!_

"..." A slight grin surfaced on my face.

Noctowl swooped in close, dodging the flailing roots and perching on the outside of the defense before an energy burst in its eyes, forming a psychic force around the central body. I could see it was not something to be on leisure about, as the struggle between the force and the roots were punctuated with tearing and groaning sounds. A lumberjack would have to had spent an hour on this, as its durability was hard as rock. Eventually the bundle split open at the center, with a tremendous crack, and exposed the fully powered Venusaur at the middle. A single, pure sphere of light was condensed at the center of the flower.

While Noctowl was engaged with the defense, my side was powering up for the ultimate move!

Gold belatedly noticed this, and shouted out, "Do a barrel roll, now!", but it was all for naught!

I dropped the verdict.

"[Solar Beam]."

Noctowl shot up, and was engulfed in the light. Like a laser beam, [Solar Beam] expanded out to rip into the sky, very death-cannon-esqe.

All that remained in the aftermath of the havoc was baked bird. Noctowl wasn't dead, per se, but knocked out and then some. As a high level pokemon, it unsurprisingly managed to survive the max brunt of the attack. I'd give it a week for it to recover fully. That, or lots of revival herbs.

"Uwahh, so strong!" The shouts of oohs and ahhs originated from the sidelines.

Partway into our competition, we had unsuspectingly gathered an audience. Mother brought out a rocking chair and was recording on her laptop - _wait, where did she even get that_ , Professor Oak was sitting on the veranda petting Pikachu, and the next door neighbor's children and Blue were leaning against the fence of the yard, cheering with his Aerodactyl. _Oi, put that thing away. Look, even the children are scared of the screeching predator!_

"Final judgement! Noctowl is unable to battle! Red and Venusaur win the match!"

And the crowd of children (and Blue) went wild. Gold recalled his pokemon and prepared to take out another pokeball but was stopped by Mother who went up him.

"Dearies, it's almost time for dinner, why don't you two finish your battle another time, okay?"

That was fine to me, although it seemed that Gold was a little unsatisfied, looking back at his pokeball. I went up to Venusaur, who being the lazy thing he is, was sleeping on the spot. The thick hide on its body was covered in roughish spots that jutted out like calluses, denoting the amount of extensive battling it had went through. Through that mess, it didn't stop me from noticing that a gash issuing greenish blood had appeared on its right flank, slowly closing up.

I thought back to the when Gold's Noctowl ripped into the ground. _An [Air Slash] managed to get through the barrier? His Noctowl is really something, alright._

The group of people that crowded our yard for some reason followed us into the house, and with Mother being the considerate person she is, she went and cooked up a storm. It almost reminds me of the relatives coming over for New Year's, and Blue's family bringing gifts and money.

It also reminded me of how I spent my New Year's in a freezing hut with a celebratory hot cocoa.

I think I'm about to cry now.

After supper, everyone left, and while cleaning up the dishes I was overhearing the conversation between Mother and Gold, laughing at her old photo albums. I don't think I've had a picture since the trainer registration at lab, so many years ago. After becoming Champion, I've hid from the press at every opportunity.

Slipping underneath my nice covers an hour later, Gold taking the guest room (across from Mother's), I fell asleep against the soft yellow fur of my partner.

Some time later, I was woken up in the middle of the darkness with the sound of horns blaring outside the house. _Who could it be at this time?_

Looking up, the alarm clock read _5:45_ in neon blue, projecting out on the ceiling. I suppose Mother must've been to Goldenrod or Celadon when I was away, and bought the newest craze on impulse while thinking that 'Red might like this'. She surprisingly has good taste (sorry, mom).

Putting on a black polo, I groggily snatched up a pokeball and opened the window, about ready to fling it at somebody's head. At the front of the house was a red jeep -Professor Oak's red jeep I might add- with the lights blaring out into the darkness of the road. Surprisingly enough, Mother was already outside, waving at me, with the Prof., Blue, and Gold in tow, all sleeping in the backseat.

"Hurry up, dear, we'll be leaving without you! It takes a day to get to Viridian and another three to sail to Vermillion!"

 _Huh?_


	5. Chapter 4: Route 1 Viridian City

Gardevoir: The Embrace Pokemon.

Solitary and lonesome creatures, Gardevoir and their kind rarely bond with others outside of direct familial relationships and their trusted trainers. They are often cold and dismissive to those they don't know, yet endearing to those they like. So much so, that for their trainers or loved ones, they would cripple their psychic power or even kill themselves to create miniature black holes.

The horn-like organ on their chests are actually physical manifestations of their hearts; if damaged or destroyed, the shock may be enough to kill the pokemon. However, these organs can be manipulated to become as hard as steel, used as a close-combat weapon or defense, or soft enough to be compressed into the chest, avoiding fatal danger. Outside of fighting, the horns can be retracted during mating, and is a sign of absolute trust if a Gardevoir exposes its chest to another in close proximity.

Gardevoir in general can read the future and speak telepathically to others, but is often at a limited basis, usually from several minutes in the near future and to humans who have bonded with them. Their psychic power are inferior to that of Espeon, or Alakazam; however, their dual typing allows them to use a wider variety of moves such as [Moonblast] and [Dazzling Gleam], as well as gain an immunity to dragon-type attacks.

Some local principalities of Kanto and Johto refer to Gardevoir as "Sir Knight", an intriguing allusion to its capabilities as guardians, despite their relative Gallade, who could be described as the epitome of gallant and are much more associated to the chivalric orders of historical regions.

* * *

 _"Hey! Wait! Don't go out! It's unsafe! Wild_ _Pokémon_ _live in tall grass! You need your own_ _Pokémon_ _for your protection. I kno-ackk!"_

The memories of me punching the professor in the gut roused me from my slumber.

The sun was sparsely poking through the leaves of Route 1 as the jeep busted its way through overgrown paths of entangling vines and foliage. The pokemon that lived in the vicinity had all but fled, as if the image of a giant bird nesting on the back compartment platform burned into their retinas didn't arouse terror. If anything, Blue was good for his pokemon, which were all images of large, imposing predators. The person himself, was more of a dunce, though, lacking in everything except battling skills. It might have been a miracle for him to even make it to league champion before me without getting killed by the scores of angry people he's pissed off.

"..."

"Sorry to intrude in your beauty sleep, dearie, we just had to leave early to get to Viridian in time for the blimp ferry."

"Blimp ferry?"

"Ah yeah, I guess you hadn't known about it. They built a new facility back a couple years ago, after you blew up that Team Rocket's leader's gym, ahahaha. There's even a new strip mall I and Daisy often go too...anyway, the Professor was kind enough to get us some tickets to get to Vermillion."

"..."

"Oh my, I guess I forgot to tell you. I'm going on a vacation in Unova with you guys! At least, part of the way. I'll reach the port city, Castelia, with you guys, and go sightseeing. I always wanted to visit the four big bridges of Unova." Her abashed look was contrary to the inner plotter...

 _Well, at least I don't have to apologize for leaving. And addition to that, I don't have to suffer on Charizard for the trip._

"Hmm?"

A rumbling sound came from ahead of us, towards the end of Route 1. The smell of charred wood and smoke began to waft from above, leaving a fudgy stain against the backdrop of morning.

"Could that be a pokemon battle up ahead? Whatever it is, we might have to detour around it."

"...A pain. I'll go deal with it." I unbuckled myself from the seat, standing up, and flung a pokeball up ahead of the car. A dull red flash emanated, and a roar sounded.

"Charizard. Let's beat up some fresh meat." A roar echoed in response, and I jumped off the side of the jeep, and a red blur swooped under me, lifting me aloft.

"We'll meet you there, honey!"

We zoomed to the sight of the conflict. Two Ace Trainers were duking it out, their signature red coats flapping behind their pokemon. Ivysaur and Starmie on one side, Absol and Alakazam on the other.

From the looks of it, the Ivysaur was almost out of it, streams of green ichor leaking from its right hind leg. It roared, lobbing balls of [Sludge Bombs] at the Absol. Wherever the poison touched, the ground and plants immediately began to corrode, sizzling and bubbling.

"Back, Absol! [Psycho Cut] on Ivysaur, Alakazam, follow up with [Psychic]!"

Absol growled, its dark horn glowing purple, before it shifted its head, flinging a blade of psychic power at Ivysaur. From behind, Alakazam lifted up a heavy rock, intending to smash it on the pokemon from above.

"Starmie!" the female cried. "[Blizzard], and follow up with a [Thunderbolt] at Absol!" Her Starmie used its appendages to rapidly get in front of the injured Ivysaur, and with a red glint in its core, generated a large wave of ice and snow, heading towards the enemy attack. Successive chunks of ice broke down the [Psycho Cut]. and the Absol was hit with chilling cold, ice forming on its horn, at its feet and tail, hanging off its coat as icicles. Alakazam was hit as well, the large boulder cracked and broken before falling back onto the ground. Starmie blinked, and then with a crackle, lightning burst out from two of its arms and jolted towards the Absol.

The Absol couldn't move, and was hit by the [Thunderbolt]. sparks sizzling off its now charred fur, falling onto the ground. It yowled, swaying, before staying upright, resolute. At this point, both the Starmie and Absol were unable to launch any attacks, tired out. The whole area stank of burnt flesh and pungent fumes.

"[Solar Beam]!"

"[Focus Blast]!"

"Charizard, [ **Blast Burn** ]."

Two beams of energy charged towards each other, causing the wind to screech and tear. However, a large shadow suddenly dropped onto the ground, and with a heavy stomp, pillars of flame rose up to intersect both attacks. They immediately vaporized, leaving the blinding fire that raged outwards and then disappeared. Within the resulting steam, I and Charizard stomped out, glaring at the two trainers.

"..."

Both of them cringed, their faces turning as pallid as bleach.

"Get out."

"Hiee!" They quivered, and withdrew their pokemon, dashing to hide behind the protective cover of the canopy. Within a few moments, all that was left was me and a big, hulking crimson beast, standing before a charred warzone.

"Hmph."

We sat down on the burnt dirt, continuing to glare at two frightened faces hiding in the canopy. Soon after, the jeep passed through the clearing, and I was once again in the passenger seat, feeling the wind tousle through my hair.

"Honey, why are you sweating so much?"

"..."

By midday, we reached the gates at the end of Route 1. It was quite bucolic, actually, bringing back past memories of a worn out guardhouse, staffed with ruddy-faced guard who gave out candies… The floor was often covered in faint, dusty pawprints, and the local poochyena ran in and out during play.

Now, the floor was swept clean, mottled carpet replaced with gleaming tile. The outside had been refurbished and repainted a iridescent turquoise. Yet the inside was staffed with potted plants, little caterpies resting on broad leaves that dipped to the floor. It seemed that the old man was still working here... a portrait of him and his Rudolph nose was hung up on the left side of the building, and a Thundurus snoring could be heard from a distant room…

I quickly went in, accessing the ticket vendor. Normally, people came on foot through here, but for vehicles one would have to open up the wide-hinged, rusting gates outside. Or, you could always try to drive through the forest, which has coagulated up to the point that you'd have to hit a tree just go a meter forward.

*Ping*, and a ticket popped out, recording the time and event of the arrival. As weird as it sounds, to need to get a ticket to pass through simple route gates, it was required by the national Kantoan government at all gates to record the movement of large shipping. Nobody wants any illegal import goods flooding in and whatnot.

I went back out, where the jeep was quietly puttering, using the ticket to open the gates. At this point, Old Man Oak was up, groggily stretching his arms. Gold and Blue; however, were still knocked out as if hit by a Venusaur's [Sleep Powder]. _Wait. Nope, my pokeball is still here. I guess that wasn't me._

"Are we here yet? My old bones are giving me hell again… gotta start back up that yoga class. Hm? We never had a yoga class? Red, why don't you open a yoga gym in Pallet, it would get plenty of support from me, haha. And while you're at it, go become a chiropractor... " The rambling went on for ages until Blue's Pidgeot almost pecked his eyes out.

By then, we had passed the gate and entered into the main streets of Viridian City, people bustling about with errands and work and play. The city had certainly become livelier than before; high rise buildings grew from the ground where little homely houses used to stand, a large square had been built in the center of town, growing a bountiful garden of fruits and vegetables that were open to the public and pokemon, and previously remarkable places, such as the Viridian Gym, home to the previous Rocket leader Giovanni, having grown four stories with wide ranging balconies and sheet glass covering previously stone walls.

A large plasma screen monitor was displayed prominently on the front side of the building, highlighting a match between a trainer and the gym leader, a blue colored [Fire Blast] striking against a Steelix with startling force. Hmm, I might have to check out the gym later.

"The blimp leaves around 8, dearie, so make sure you're there in time- or we'll leave you in the dust!"

And so, I and two sacks of luggage (Blue, Gold) were left alone to venture in the city.

The first destination for any trainer visiting a bustling town is the Pokemon Center. From the same old outdated map hung on the back wall since forever, to the identical nurse joy in every town with the same hairsty-wait.

I guess the Pokemon Center doesn't change _ever_. Oh wait, I was wrong. There's a new potted plant at the front entrance. And it makes the aesthetics allll better. Not.

After a quick checkover of my pokemon by the Center- not like any of pokemon aren't already in perfect shape with my overabundance of hyper potions and max revives, we went over to the Poke Ma- OI. What the crap is that thing!?

The Poke Mart became a Poke Mall, gaining three stories and giant rotating neon sign on the roof. If not to one-up the outside appearance, the inside was filled with gaudy products, medicines, and trainer items. Uh, did someone find gold nuggets around here or something? Did Viridian become a boom town when I was away?

Aisles and aisles of _stuff_ just littered the place, creating an utterly confounding maze of capital. I could see the Gold's eyes glittering, and he was about to run to the plush section- hundreds of types of pokemon plushies, topped with a giant Snorlax a meter and a half tall and twice as big. Children were climbing and jumping on top of it like some sort of bounce house- and karate chopped him in the head. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and I snorted.

 _Johto Champion, my arse. Don't be fooled by such obvious marketing schemes!_ I wound around the labyrinth of merch and headed straight to the back, eyes ripped away from temptation and staring right at the golden piles of full heals. _Ah, status-free life!_

We left after we had found out that corporate con men doubled the already previously exorbitant price of full heals.

Next, the gym!

Inside, I was shocked at the futuristic interior, which was previously covered in bright surgical lamps and broad, imposing stone walls. DJ music was blaring out of giant speakers imposed into the ceiling. A wide lobby set in darklights was filled with people either dancing under multicolored strobelights or sitting at a bar towards the back wall. Sleek obsidian stairs grew from the sides, leading to the second and third floors, highlighting large, wall-sized plexiglass, one-way windows. From outside, one could see the flashing, disorienting lasers and neon flashes painting the walls, and large spotlights highlighting the wide berths given for the battles between the challenger and the staff.

Another set of stairs up, and everything became completely dark except for the inside wall; all the walls covered by a blindingly 360 degree monitor. It was like were standing in the midst of the battlefield! I assumed that we were in the gym leader's battle room, because it hoisted large, royal velvet banners above a shadowy figure, opposite of him was a trainer who was fiercely shouting out commands to his pokemon. The camera panned closely behind the movements of a Typhlosion, hurling [Lava Plume] at a heavyset Rhyperior, fiery magma smashing against the whole field. It responded with a [Hammer Arm], smashing the flaming rocks that came its way with disdain. It roared, and dashed towards Typhlosion, bashing it while twisting its body in a [Drill Run]. Typhlosion was flung against the ground, and didn't get back up.

The monitor changed to a battle set screen, and an ultra ball faded from the trainer's six balls. The score was 4-2, the challenger on the losing side. The match then switched over to the face of the gym leader recalling his pokemon, with the AI referee sounding out for a thirty minute halftime break. I gasped.

The gym leader's face was more aged than before, wrinkles layering over a similarly grim face, yet with a trace of a smile. His black suit stood out against the illumination of the battle chamber, his short cropped hair slicked back.

Giovanni!

Why is the ex-Rockets leader back as the Viridian City Gym Leader?!

I heard a soft chuckle, and turned and glared at Blue, who was _supposed_ to be the current gym leader.

"It seems that good ole Sakaki is doing a good job of running this place, huh?"

"..."

"What? He may be ex-mafia boss, but he does a pretty damn well job making money. I designed the renovations here, and yet was in deficit for years. But then Sakaki showed up out of the blue, and volunteered to pay for all of it and take over management! Now I'm just gym leader in name of this place, it's kinda sad now..

"And you know what's more? He even volunteered to give out part of the profit to the city as donations! No wonder Viridian built up so quickly when I was out."

"...so you ended up selling off your job because you were too lazy to take care of the responsibilities as gym leader?!"

"...well, I guess you can put it that way."

"No wonder the Professor wants you dead."

"Hey, hey! I'm still his favorite nephew! Don't go killing me off yet!"

"You're his _only_ nephew, imbecile."

We left the screening room, slightly disoriented by the black backlight of the lower floors. I looked back and wondered, _maybe I should pay the gym leader a little visit and a battle to boot.._

While I was thinking that…

"Hey, Red? I think we lost Gold."

"...What?"


	6. Chapter 5: Viridian City 2

Gengar: The Shadow Pokemon.

Gengar are the embodiment of souls risen from the grave to play. Throughout the Gengar evolutionary line, the souls continue to gain more substance, yet retain abilities like being able to phase through walls. Gengar are unlike other ghost pokemon such as Misdreavus and Yamask, and are content with finding humor in the fear they cause. However, despite their assumed role as trickster and prankster, Gengar are poisonous, and some have similarly noxious personalities.

In some secluded regions of the world, Gengar are misappropriated the role of the soul reaper, by leading people away for weeks on end before returning them, looking like the life has been sucked out of the body. This is actually much more likely due to the fact that a mischievous Gengar has recently learned about standup comedy, and wanted to find a poor soul to test its new tricks on. Of course, the joke goes horribly wrong, and the person is exposed to relentlessly awful comedy until the Gengar gets that it isn't funny.

An interesting detail about Gengar is that they act like natural heat sinks; their appearance usually leads to a 5 degree celsius drop in temperature, causing victims to exhibit behavior of chills and nausea. An independent research group is attempting to harness this quality of Gengars to create more efficient coolant systems for cars, heating systems, and energy grids.

* * *

We found Gold from the balcony on the second floor of the gym. It was after I had sent Blue back up to the third floor to check the balcony overlooking outside, while I frantically searched the first. There were people, people everywhere, dancing, drinking, betting on battles, cheering, and making a ruckus in general. I gripped my white knuckles in distress, glancing about.

This clusterphobia, being surrounded by waves of strangers, was disorienting. I wanted to get outside, and run to the nearest forest to hide under a rock. The intrigue and excitement of the earlier experience, walking around Veridian, had since faded away into an onset of panic.

I've never lost a child before- granted, I've never been given a child before to manage. What if we end up losing him in Viridian before we leave? He, more likely than not, has the aptitude to survive in a bustling city, but I'd be getting a jail sentence of decades for kidnapping and abandoning a minor if he decided to reveal that we whisked him from Mount Silver. What would I tell Mother? " _Oh, we accidently lost a child on the way to Unova, he'll show up somewhere?"_

I felt my hands get clammy, and stuck them back into my pockets. He wasn't down here. _Could be outside? No, that wouldn't be the case. He's a pokemon trainer. He should be inside here, watching battles and getting that sugar rus-WAIT._

Clinging to a sudden moment of enlightenment, I rushed up to the second floor and to the wall windows that revealed the wide battle arena. Scouring the corners of the gym, I found him amid the epileptic black and white. He was beating up one of the staff's Onix with his Weavile, continuously freezing it with [Icy Wind] and using [Faint Attack] to kick it against the floor.

I sighed in relief.

"Hey, don't you see that trainer over there? Isn't he one-handedly crushing the staff?"

"Oh, I saw him come in like ten minutes ago. He's already beaten down two opponents! We'll be seeing a new challenger to the gym leader soon. Let's go upstairs to the viewing area."

Two passerbies walked past, and I blinked. _Damnit, a load of trouble these people are!_ Jumping down two steps at a time, I rushed over to the vendor at the back of the club area and bought a battle pass -valid for one attempt through the gym to the leader- and brushed past a velvet curtain into the battle area.

Immediately I was exposed under harsh light. From above, huge spotlights moved around, mist from an industrial-sized smoke machine clouding the area. It was like being in a laser tag arena- people running around, some staff ready to challenge others to a one on one battle, others trainers who were trying to hide from view of the staff while progressing forward.

I ducked down behind an ovaloid silicon structure. It gently pulsed in the dark, thin webs of white lines moving through it into the floor. A power regulator? These things were only at the league, meant for immediately repairing the arena from attacks that blew craters in the ground and scorched the walls black. What crazy person is rich enough to afford this?! Normally, gyms would have to resurface their walls or floors every time an intense battle occurs, and have teams of pokemon like Machoke and Poliwrath on hand to patch things up. It was costly, but at least not as costly as one of these money monstrosities. A power regulator would be on par with a master ball on cost, and that's as priceless as you can get. Looking around; however, there was not one regulator, but dozens!

"Giovanni, which region did you bankrupt to afford this?"

I stepped back, cold sweat on my back, and acutely heard a clicking sound. Before I knew it, I was hurled away like a rag doll, twisted and spun in every direction until I lost my bearings and snapped against a cushioning wall. _Spin tiles?!_ I could faintly hear the laughter of a certain imbecile…

"BLUEEEEEE!"

Gold had already entered the Gym Leader's Battle Room. He was blinded from the stark contrast of the main battle room. White light pulsed from everywhere but the floor, which was a deep black, following the pavement outside. From the sides, two power regulators were molded into the wall, humming subtly. The room, intriguingly enough, smelled like nothing- no scent, no traces of the previous battle existed- in this manufactured place.

In front of him was Giovanni, sitting on a bicarbonate grey throne, partially obscured in shadow by a shallow overhang. He looked up, deep set eyes staring straight at Gold's eyes, unwavering. It was unnerving, like Giovanni was a predator, about to pounce upon him and bite at his neck.

He stood up, suddenly appearing half a meter taller than he was supposed to be, and began to walk towards him. His mouth opened, harsh and steely words grating out.

"Welcome to the Viridian Gym, Challenger. I see you didn't leisurely take your time to come find me."

From the right wall, a projection manifested from the white light; it formed Gold's trainer profile and Giovanni's, illusions of sharp rocks bursting from the side of the profile to pierce each other, blank pokeballs rolling out as if from a roulette board.

Giovanni stopped, several paces in front of Gold. He silently glared at him, before extending his hand.

"Giovanni."

"It has been a while, hasn't it, Gold. When you last defeated me at Tohjo Falls, I was quite shocked. To think another upstart ruined the grand plans of the illustrious Team Rocket… I'd never thought I'd get to have a rematch with you."

He grasped Gold's hand by his side, shaking it firmly. As he bent his head up, Gold could see a sly grin on his face, half obscured by shadows.

"Well, that's all in the past now. What's done is done, and I am now just a humble gym leader." Giovanni sucked in his breath, and then proclaimed, "I, Giovanni, of the Viridian City Gym, accept your challenge!"

From the speakers embedded into the room, an assistance AI droned, " _This will be a three on three battle, with the challenger allowed to substitute pokemon at will. League regulations: only registered movesets can be used for battle, no fatal maiming, no targeting the opponent's trainer, and when all pokemon on one side is unable to battle, a victor will be declared!"_

The battle started almost deafeningly slowly. Gold could hear his heart thrum with anticipation as Giovanni casually walked backwards, settling back onto his throne while a tray jutted out by his side, containing six pokeballs. He paused for a moment, before picking one up, expanding it, and tossing it onto the field.

"Rhyperior, full power!" A light flashed out, a shadow revealing the large imposing figure of Rhyperior. It imposingly glared down at Gold before roaring, trembling and cracks forming in the walls before being immediately sealed up. Rhyperior's icon and HP gauge appeared above Giovanni's silhouette on the screen.

Gold swallowed, and then snatched a pokeball from his belt before flinging it onto the field.

"Feraligatr! Go!" A stomp created a crater in the ground before immediately resolving. blue scales creating a colorful sheen across the floor and the walls. Feraligatr's icon and HP gauge appeared above Gold's silhouette.

The two pokemon stared down each other before tackling their opponent, full throated grunts compounded with cracking noises as fist grappled fist in a strong arm wrestling match. They maintained that stance until Feraligatr was pushed back half a meter; Feraligatr roared and jumped back by Gold's side.

Gold pointed his arm towards Rhyperior. "[Aqua Tail]!" Feraligatr rushed forward on all fours and to meet Rhyperior and pumped its hand against the ground before twisting its body and slamming its tail against its torso. From the shock wave, water gushed into existence, flooding the immediate vicinity and leaving a soaked and angry Rhyperior on the ground. Rhyperior's HP gauge dropped a quarter- the damage from the super effective move reduced its ability, Solid Rock.

"Retaliate with [Hammer Arm]!" "Block it with [Superpower]!" Rhyperior jabbed a foot into the floor to rise and with its right arm and attempted to slam its opponent with a windmill punch, packed with a ton of force. However, it was stopped by Feraligatr, who blocked it with two hands, steam emitting from its body.

"[Rock Blast]!" "Throw him, now!"

Feraligatr lifted Rhyperior, weighing nigh on three hundred kilograms, and chucked it towards the wall, where it blasted through before falling down. Despite the damage, a barrage of rocks blew off from its arms in the cloud of stone dust that resulted in its crash, nailing Feraligatr in the blind.

Both pokemons' HP were now down to a quarter, [Rock Blast] dealing significant damage to the Gold's weakened Feraligatr. The aftereffects of [Superpower] left it vulnerable at a bad time, allowing Giovanni to cleverly exploit it.

The last move decided this matchup!

"[Rock Wrecker]!" "[Hydro Cannon]!"

Both pokemon began charging their trump cards, a gigantic boulder clustering together from Rhyperior's rock body, while a massive ball of water formed in front of Feraligatr's mouth. Both of them reached critical mass at the same instant, before hurtling towards each other. Both sides were unable to move! The battle now decided on which attack was stronger; there would not be another chance to recover from this.

The boulder smashed into the cannonball of water, before tearing its way past and smashing against Feraligatr's face. It crumpled instantly, out for the count. The [Hydro Cannon]; however, was left intact; at least half of the force struck Rhyperior in the chest, where it was previously hit by [Aqua Tail]. It faltered, and roared, before its legs gave way. Both pokemon were out for the count!

"Tch."

Gold recalled Feraligatr, looking at Giovanni, who did the same. The gym leader's face didn't change, lips still curved downward into a disapproving frown, yet his right hand, which was gripping his armrest, was clenched tight, veins popping up.

 _He's definitely as excited as I am_ , thought Gold. More likely than not, the majority of challengers would be to reach this room, much less be enough of a threat to defeat Giovanni, the boss of the disbanded crime syndicate that extended its grasp across both Kanto and Johto. Rumor had it that Giovanni even faced down the economic powerhouse, Silph Co., and invaded its Kanto headquarters. Not that any ordinary trainer would know that.

But Gold had previously driven off Giovanni's top grunts in Johto, crushing their revival at the Goldenrod Radio Tower. He had even time traveled with Celebi to previously defeat Giovanni at Tohjo Falls, at the time the organization was calling for its leader to return.

Both of them were itching for a rematch.

"Nidoking!" "Weavile!"

"[Earth Power]!" Giovanni took the initiative to attack the Sharp Claw Pokemon, Nidoking bashing the ground underneath itself to launch a pillar of warped pavement into Weavile's face.

"Leverage it, and go for a [Brick Break]."

Weavile deftly swung around the pillar with a clawed hand before using it as a slingshot to propel itself towards Nidoking, ready to karate chop at the horned head.

Giovanni smirked, and then shouted, "[Flamethrower]."

Nidoking opened its mouth and a bright red flare began to congeal. Gold inwardly cursed- the fiery attack was already too close for comfort- and aimed his pokeball at Weavile. "Return, Weavile!" He hoped that the targeting beam was fast enough, otherwise his pokemon would be set out of commission for a good while.

A torrent of flames blew past Gold, heat radiating off onto his face, almost scorching. He looked down and sighed in relief at the pokeball blinking red for a successful retrieval. Peering back up, he saw Giovanni making a face of ambivalence.

"I'm glad to see that you are actively engaging as a pokemon trainer in the battle, as you should. You properly treat your pokemon with utmost care, unlike others who just stand in the sidelines and watch impersonally. Now, bring out your next pokemon!"

Gold pulled out his third pokeball from his belt clips and expanded it.

"Go, Scizor!"

The pokemon burst out in a flash of light, accompanied with the sound of screeching metal as it scraped its arms together in a battle stance.

"[Bullet Punch]!" Scizor hummed, and shot towards Nidoking with a hard claw.

"Same thing, roast the bug!" Nidoking blasted another [Flamethrower] at Scizor, this time almost twice as big.

But Gold and Scizor was prepared for it, and with a swift reversing of its wings, the bug pokemon shifted laterally to the right and continued to advance. It nailed Nidoking in the face, shoving it backwards. Technician, Scizor's ability, powered up the move and dealt a large amount of damage to the opponent. Nidoking's health bar dropped to half.

"Retaliate! Stop it with [Earth Power] and use [Flamethrower] again!"

Pillars of rock bisected each other as they careened from the ground to target Scizor, but only managed to graze the metal skin as it skirted around. Nidoking shot a bursting flame, the size and intensity of a [Fire Blast], but Scizor ducked under it, suffering only minor burns, drops of liquid metal falling onto the pavement.

At that point, Scizor had reached Nidoking, and grasped it by the neck, creaking as it lifted the gargantuan up.

"[Iron Head]."

The pokemon bashed Nidoking in the chest with its horns, flinging it into the ceiling. It fell down and landed heavily into the ground, and didn't get up.

At this point, Giovanni had stood up and was on the field, face flushed. "Recall!" He threw another ball onto the stage. "Go, Krookodile!"

Its large snout snorted, red and black coloring on its hide contrasting with its rough, pale front. Gold frowned. He hadn't seen this pokemon before, not in either of the Kanto and Johto species databases. Was it a new variety? Or a mutation of some previously known pokemon?

Giovanni grinned. "I got this from a vacation in Unova, from some place called the Relic Castle… Let me tell you, it was very intriguing looking at ruins, whether there or at the Ruins of Alph, because there are so many hidden technologies and pokemon sheltered from society. So many things that could have, alas, risen my group to power… but I digress."

"Scizor, [X-Scissor]."

"Scouting it out, huh, boy. Smart move. But not smart enough! Krookodile, catch it and use [Fire Fang]!"

Krookodile took on Scizor's blow full on, staggering a bit before grasping the opponent's metal hands. It then opened its maw, brimming with fire, and clamped down on its torso. The pokemon screamed, a harsh and grating metallic outburst, and collapsed.

"Return! Go, Weavile!"

"So we're back to one on one, huh. Give me a good fight before you lose!"

"Hmph, we'll see about that. [Icy Wind]!"

Weavile blew a stream of frozen air towards Krookodile, and although not damaging it greatly, slowed the crocodile down. It roared in response, and began to charge at Weavile.

"[Superpower]!" "Get behind, and [Brick Break] it into the ground!"

Both of them collided, one of them like a towering mountain, the other like a flitting shadow, enshrouded in a cloud of dust and ice. It parted to reveal Weavile's arm entrapped in Krookodile's grasp, with its other arm dug deeply into the red and black scales. Krookodile flung it up like a rag doll, and then into the far side of the room. Weavile's body blurred past Gold before a loud thunk could be heard. Krookodile, who's health bar was already in the red, collapsed.

Gold turned around in panic. "Weavile, are you alr-!" He found it clinging onto the metal rims of the entrance, hair raised up and mouth enclosed in a snarl. It finally found itself to the mercy of gravity, and pried its claws out of the wall and slid gingerly onto the floor.

The AI drawled from the stereo speakers: " _The gym leader's pokemon are unable to battle. The challenger is declared the winner!"_ Giovanni recalled his pokemon and walked towards Gold, who thanked his pokemon for their effort and recalled Weavile.

"I lost again, huh…" The grim frown on his face twisted ever so slowly upwards. "That was truly an intense fight. You have won, therefore, as proof, here is the Earth Badge!" He pulled from his suit pocket a silvery green badge, shaped like an evergreen tree and handed it to Gold.

It was right after Giovanni shook Gold's hand that I arrived, huffing and puffing into the chamber. He looked up at me and his face turned into shock; Gold was nonplussed, as if he didn't notice that I came in. Huh, he already has the badge in his hand…Well he's a Champion. I have no doubts he can fight on par with gym leaders.

I trudged over there and knocked him on the back of the head.

"Oww! What was that for?" He grimaced at me, tearing up.

"For running off on your own and making my life harder than it should be!"

I turned around and glanced at Giovanni.

"...So you finally put your life together again, huh."

He stood still for a moment, word forming on the tip of his tongue, but not yet vocalized. He then realized the awkward silence, and his face once again set into grim creases. "It's a surprise that not only this boy, but also you would come…" He looked at the badge in Gold's hand and sighed, not saying anything for a moment.

He then walked to his elaborate chair and retrieved his black trenchcoat, before going past us. "I already heard from Blue. You're going to participate in the Pokemon World Tournament in Unova?"

"..." I started, squinting at his back.

He stopped, and then laughed. Clapping his hands twice, he intoned, "AI, cease functioning of the gym until further notice. Tell the staff to clear out the rest of the trainers." He turned around to face me. Flames filled his irises, reminiscent of the trainers I've seen at the League Tournament.

"Red, I've always thought of you since that gym battle, so long ago, as someone I could never fathom; as an enigma." He lifted his arm, coat partially hanging off it, to unwaveringly point his finger at me. "Let us meet again at the PWT, and battle our hearts out for the title of strongest pokemon trainer!"

He left the room and everything turned dark, except for the dim red emergency lights of the exit.

 _Oh geez, what the crap did I do this time…_

I and Gold found Blue outside of the gym, where a large group of people were just milling around, kicked out of their place to party, or deprived of their gym leader challenge. He waved at us, and walked over, obviously excited for some reason.

"Oh man, Gold, I saw your fight with Sakaki. It was pretty awesome, you know? Usually he doesn't get so worked up as to start stripping halfway, haha. Anyways, you're pretty famous around here now, beating the gym leader and all. I don't think he's had a challenger beat him in months, and that's already with him using his standard team. Who would've realized that he was going to take out his personal squad of elites. So anyways-"

I interjected. "Enough. The sun is already setting. Gold, take your pokemon to the Center and get them checked out; we need to be at the blimp at-" I checked my watch, and my eyes bulged at the time. "-tch! Thirty minutes. Go, now!"

Lips pursed, I shooed them off in the direction of the Pokemon Center. From behind, I could hear distant chatting.

"Well Blue, I did tell you I am the Johto Champion…Hey, why is there a button on the back of this badge that makes it light up?"

"Ah, that was me! It was one of the proposed perks I suggested to Sakaki to pizzazz the gym experience. It fits nicely with the interior theme, right? Right?"

"By the way, why does Red look like he's been through a roller coaster? He looks like he's about to hurl…"

I sighed. _This is already a long day..._


	7. Chapter 6: En Route to Vermillion

Vaporeon: The Bubble Jet Pokemon.

Vaporeon are a quadrupedal mammal that exhibit characteristics of amphibians: they harbor lungs, and can thus breathe on land, but also have gills, which allow them to participate in deep aquatic diving for extended periods of time.

However, they are unique in the fact that they are able to so-called "melt away in the water", allowing them to seamlessly camouflage themselves and disperse and diffuse into water like raindrops. This ability is due to the fact that their bodily composition is 95% water, save for the viscous membrane and translucent organs that can be manipulated into a variety of shapes. By controlling their membrane, they can shrink down to as little as five percent of their size and effectively "melt away".

The habitat for the Vaporeon species is quite limited, as most Vaporeon are domestically bred and fresh-water aquatic organisms. These Vaporeon are found primarily near lakes or urban settings, despite the latter environment's obvious detriment to the pokemon. Vaporeon who are neither domestic nor fresh-water can be found in sparse colonies along the coast of Kanto and Johto.

Vaporeon are averse to polluted environments and saltwater, both of which can be detrimental to their bodily systems if not properly adapted to.

There is a tribe along the Kantoan coast that uses saltwater-adapted Vaporeon to engage in fishing and diving activities. They are also known for fishing up various treasures from old shipwrecks that lay at the bottom of the ocean.

* * *

I closed my book, _The Natural History of Pokemon_ , before looking out the bright window. It was nearly mid-morning by now, having eaten a luxurious breakfast of Tauros steak and Chansey's [Softboiled] eggs. Our group had previously bedded up last night in separate rooms in the A.S. Aeroacrophilia, each surprisingly capacious for each guest. Space is a most costly endeavor for air travel, where every square meter meant sacrificing or altering design plans and structural integrity. Despite all of that, the blimp was the length of several Wailord strung together, totalling about thirty meters in length, and hosting roughly a hundred patrons and fifteen staff.

It was somewhat of a concern that the slightest spark from a tame Pichu could likely set the whole thing aflame or a stray Pidgey could pop a hole straight through the taut vellum, but we were repeatedly assured that the blimp was designed to be inflammable, and a large entourage of pokemon, specifically, clusters of Pidgeotto and Golbat, drove away any approaching curious passerbies. However, as the old adage goes, "an unsinkable ship…"

I wonder how much it cost the Professor for this. More importantly, I wonder if I can cajole him into renovating my hut on Mt. Silver. Even if I don't go back, real estate property prices and all...

Commercial regulations prevent the release of pokemon that might be a threat to the passengers and staff, so pretty much all of my pokemon except Pikachu were recalled until the end of the voyage. Even then, Pikachu received an electrical device that strapped to his tail, a one-ounce battery, good for sucking up static electricity like a black hole and releasing it as heat. Pretty handy. I'll ask the Prof to get me one for later use. Pikachu was snoozing off on my lap, fur warm to the touch. He's always snoozing off at this age, huh.. Unexpectedly uncharacteristic of his type, but I guess age catches up to everyone.

Gold, on the other hand, was playing blackjack with his Weavile and Noctowl. The bird cocked its head to the left in a poor display of trying to look at its partner's cards, which earned it an impetuous rake across the beak with a claw, and then he therefore folded. Weavile hissed in delight, and displayed her cards, drawing an exasperated sigh from Gold as he found himself hopelessly outclassed.

"Two, twelve, and six. Aren't you guys a little _too_ good at this?", Gold hopelessly smacked his hand onto the table. Weavile looked away, smirking at its current win streak, and Noctowl turned its head one hundred and eighty degrees with a faint smile.

It was obvious that the two were cheating against Gold. On several occasions while I was watching, Weavile expertly shuffled and rigged the deck in its favor, and Noctowl, with little to no effort at all, was card counting. And looking at the pocket mirror I put up right next to me to reveal Gold's hand.

Not that I was going to tell him that, of course.

Gold got up and pushed his chair in while I hurriedly hid the pocket mirror before turning to me. He recalled Noctowl and Weavile.

"It's the same every time I play with these guys. Mahjong, blackjack, chess, GO, even racing games. And Noctowl doesn't even have hands!" His shoulders drooped and he looked up at me, obsidian eyes glinting. "I think they might be cheating or something. Otherwise, I'm just no good at games."

He pursed his lips and looked outside the window before turning around. "Regardless, do you want to see the gondola? The view up here is kind of limited, but I heard that down there everything opens up."

"... I guess so."

I patted Pikachu on the head to rouse him, and as he jumped down I put my book away.

"Do you think that we should drag Blue with us?"

"Leave him be. He'll cause enough trouble sleeping, anyhow."

It wasn't hard to remember the time when I tied him to the bed in Cerulean when he was drunk, only to find him hanging out by a limb on the side of a skyscraper. The faces of the bystanders as Charizard flew up the sides to catch him were distressing, to say the least. Faces contorted in fear as the wind pressure began to break windows in succession...In the end, traffic in the city was paralyzed as police began a complete investigation into a perceived act of terrorism. While I got away with minimal effort, the idiot Blue was left to fend for himself, paying for all damages and receiving a court injunction by the Kantoan federal council of domestic affairs.

Anyways, the moral of the story is: don't be an idiot, and especially don't be Blue.

We left the passenger room and headed down the main hall, walking down a flight of stairs at the end that led to the gondola, and the exit. Downstairs, we were greeted by a large observatory, the sides of the aluminum-plated walls covered in plexiglass windows. At the fore of the gondola, rows of instrumentation were full of staff, managing the airship and its flight.

"Ah, Red, Gold. Taken the time to see the view, am I right?"

Oak greeted us from the corner, lip upturned as he wore his signature red flannel and slacks. This was a vacation for him, was it? Why is he still wearing his work clothes? I asked him and he laughed.

"Even when I'm out of the lab, I'm still working. Who knows what I can find outside. It's truly a benefit of my work and passion."

"Benefit, you say…"

"Yes, Gold. You'll realize it too one day when you find what you want to do. Anyways, do you enjoy the scenery? We're right now flying over Route 17; it should only be a couple hours before we hit the Bay of Kanto and until nightfall that we reach Vermillion.

"So kick back and enjoy the ride."

He smiled at his last remark and moved to join Mother at the viewing platform on the sides. Gold then looked at me and asked, "So what do you want to do first?"

"Well, if I were to do anything, I'd be going out and getting fresh air." _Nothing better than flying outside, right?_ The ride was elegant, especially the bathrooms, which was a plus on a long flight, but even with the size of the dirigible it was still too closed.

Maybe it had something to do with the calming sight of blue as far as one could see and the wind blowing through my hair.

As I said that, Gold looked at me in shock.

"Huh? You're going out? How are you going to do that?"

"Like this."

With that, Pikachu jumped out of my arms to stand beside Gold, and I handed him my bag and my cap. I went further towards the back where the entrance well was, and sealed up the door behind me. I opened the hatch and the wind came blustering in, whipping up my jacket and hair. Below, was the open sea, cut in half by a glittering road of cement and steel. On it were automobiles and bikers, riding down to Fuchsia City, roughly a several days away by foot.

I expanded a ball and holding it away from me, released a red infrared light. As usual, the technology astounded me in how versatile it was. Around the cap there was a scroll wheel that manipulated the distance the light would manifest the pokemon, ranging from one to fifty meters. Of course, this increase in distance also resulted in a huge drain in battery, but I was not lacking in chargers -i.e. a certain electrical rat- to power my electronic gadget needs. And if I needed a little more range, I could throw the ball, and it would emit a burst of energy upon release that would bring it back by means of recoil.

This latter method requires training in catching the ball, though. Many balls were thrown and many faces were hit on my first day.

"Hey, what are you doing! Get back in here!" Voices sounded from behind the airlock, a porthole revealing crew and passengers alarmed in my attempt of apparent suicide.

To justify their thoughts, I jumped.

10 meters.

20 meters.

30 meters.

From below a shadow loomed, and I was grabbed by Charizard, who was breathing plumes of smoke, halting my inertia of fall. He then flung me up and I landed on his back, and we dived down, through a wave of alarmed Golbats and their trainers, our entourage, until we were just above the scintillating sea.

We skimmed the waves, Charizard roaring in delight at the steep drop as an exercise to spread his wings, and we flew along the Cycling Road, surprising bikers and cyclists who were cruising along. We remained like that for a good while, until the A.S. Aeroacrophilia was distant on the horizon, and turned around to speed after them.

We rejoined the crowd of pokemon and trainers, they giving us wary looks for pulling off our earlier stunt and scaring them out of nowhere, and we continued along until a black cloud appeared on the horizon of the far southeast, climbing across the pale rose sunset.

A trainer beside us, obviously meant to monitor our actions, took out a radio and began to converse in serious conversation with who I assumed to be the bridge of the airship. His brow creased into hard lines, and he began directing the entourage to climb up and towards the northeast, following the dirigible's wake as it tried to avoid the storm.

I got a little closer and hollered at him. "Hey, what's going on! Is there a reason why we're changing course?"

He looked at me with a weary face. "We have reports of a wild Zapdos heading our way. We hit it and the immensity of the static charge might just blow this place sky high."

"Huh. I was hoping for something a little tamer, like an idiot trying to teach Dragonair how to ramp up [Rainy Day] and making it get out of control."

"I wish. If we had something like that it wouldn't be so hard to maneuver this island of a thing." He pointed at the A.S. Aeroacrophilia. "This isn't its maiden flight, but it would be especially unfortunate if it wrecked in the middle of the ocean like its predecessors."

"...I see. I guess I'll go take care of this then." I caused an expression of alarm to appear on his face as he realized what I was about to do, and he made to stop me. "Wait, are you mad?! Going into a Zapdos storm, much less fighting Zapdos is asking for death! I cannot allow this!"

"Heeh….. courageous but no joe. Later."

I knocked on Charizard's back, and he, like me, knew what was in the cloud and was anxious to fight it. He strained his wings, and we burst at supersonic speed out of the formation again, almost as fast as a Salamence.

The edge of the storm clouds were about a couple kilometers away, rumbling and shaking as arcs of lightning streaked between layers. As we rushed to it, the direction the cloud was growing changed from the airship, beginning to travel towards us. From afar, it looked kinda tame, but up close… The size of the monster was gigantic, towering far above us. It turned into a cumulonimbus in an instant.

"I think it's noticed us, buddy," I told Charizard, and he blew smoke from his snout in response.

We flew into the maelstrom, almost dropping a couple feet upon entry as the low pressure system hit us. The absence of wind was noticeably present, and lightning arced around us in a frenzy of bolts. Above was a black shadow, illuminated briefly to reveal the shape of the culprit behind the storm.

Black and yellow plumage, spiky feathers and appendages. It glared at us silently, making the lack of sound except the surrealistic thunder in the distance almost ominous. Charizard flapped to gain altitude, meeting it face to face. The two seemed to regard each other in seriousness, and I was reminded by a distant memory back at the start of my journey.

Before winning the Kanto League, when I was thirteen, I and my team were looking through the abandoned Kanto Power Plant, seeking out electric type pokemon rumored to be living there, for filling the Pokedex. We had, contrary to our expectations, encountered a Zapdos residing within, and was forced into a life or death encounter to defeat it. It wasn't long until our team was defeated, and Zapdos took mercy upon us instead of frying us alive with a terrifying electric current.

But I remember Charizard, back then a Charmeleon, standing defiantly against what was called in legends a thunder god.

Recognition dawned upon me and I looked fixedly into the glinting pupils of the pokemon that stared at us. "It's you, right? The one back at the power plant."

It opened its beak and screeched in confirmation, resounding through the air. With a flap of its wings, a strong gust surged and the surrounding thunderclouds were shoved out, revealing an eye of the storm.

Charizard roared in response, flaming blasting out of his mouth into the sky, and I recognized his call.

It was time for a rematch!


	8. Chapter 7: En Route to Vermillion 2

Kangaskhan: The Parent Pokemon.

Kangaskhan is one of the most parental pokemon ever documented, hence its defining category, the Parent Pokemon. Hardly ever does the infant within a Kangaskhan's pouch leave the sight of the mother, and if endangered, a ferocious parent is soon to come thundering.

This seemingly almost overprotectiveness stems from generations of tradition, of which the family bond is ingrained within each child to be paramount in importance to survival of the species. In the case of Kangaskhan's mega evolution, the ability retained is Parental Bond, enabling the infant to actively attack along with the parent.

A Kangaskhan is also well known for its punch, from [Dizzy Punch] to [Drain Punch] to [Thunder Punch]. This wide variety of punches that Kangaskhan can learn makes them a staple in Pokemon boxing matches -infant watching by the side, of course. The Kanto Federal Pokemon Boxing League touts Kangaskhan Cup Winners for six years in a row, alongside other pokemon such as Hitmonchan and Hariyama.

Kangaskhan can be found domestically along the rural hinterland of Saffron City, often bred and trained by martial artists and breeders near the Karate Dojo. However, wild Kangaskhan can only be found in the Safari Zone of Johto, and the Rock Tunnel on Kanto's Route 10. They are omnivores, able to both graze and hunt independently for food such as fish or meat.

* * *

It was Charizard who made the first move. I could feel a quivering on his back, muscles tensing up and rippling. He was waiting for my order to launch himself into the fiery passion of single combat.

"Let's settle the score. We aren't so weak as before, Charizard. Hit him with [Air Cutter]!"

The hulking lizard blasted its wings down, gaining altitude. We blasted past Zapdos, who gave a chiding glare at us in amusement. It screeched, and in an instant, drew bolts of lightning from the thundercloud to itself. They seemed to form a crackling orb around the legendary, blinding our sights.

"Launch it now. It's using [Thunder]." Charizard bellowed, and whipped its body around, launching blades of wind in all directions. They expanded outward to crash into the lightning sphere and knock it back, scattering electricity in all directions; however, Zapdos came out unharmed, with eyes glowing. Untouched and unphased, it seemed that from the outset we were going to have an uphill battle to fight.

"[Dragon Pulse]!"

Charizard sucked in air like a vortex, and then spat it out towards the enemy, ripping the mist in front of it with massive shockwaves. It slammed into the Zapdos with incredible force, knocking it down from its perch in the air with a squawk. But immediately after, it dispersed the force of the attack with its wings, and performed an aerial backflip, glaring down on us.

" 'idn't get it. It was just testing us. Back up, now!"

Charizard swung his tail to blast a flurry of gusts at the Zapdos honing in on us, and we sped off into the thunderclouds. Lightning arced around us, as if taunting our escape. I looked behind, and the yellow bird stared back with golden eyes, as if not amused. Static spread from the tips of its feathers, and suddenly, we were enclosed in a field of lightning bolts, raining down around us and stopping our flight.

"Not good. Get closer to the water and use [Dragon Pulse] within the cover of the waves."

Then began a chase between us and Zapdos's [Thunder] attack, lightning bolts evaded by an arm's length as we attempted to dodge and seek for an opportunity to hit the adversary from afar. Towering waves, churned up by the work of the legendary's [Rain Dance] crashed around us, giving the battle a look of mysticism and power, like a deity exerting its fury of heaven upon the puny mortal.

But we were no puny mortal, instead retaliating by launching [Dragon Pulse]s from every angle imaginable, barraging Zapdos and whittling it down. However, we were too far, and Charizard quickly depleting in much stamina, to keep up a fight of attrition. So we waited for a chance moment.

In between a thunderbolt glancing off my partner's wings, and a tsunami-like wave from our backs, we surged towards Zapdos, spinning in mid air while avoiding its attacks as it sought to cluster [Thunder] around it again in an attempt to suppress us.

"[Flare Blitz]!"

Charizard spat out a raging [Fire Blast] at Zapdos, while flying into it to create a torrent of flames that licked our bodies. I could vaguely smell the burnt scent of clothes, and the heat of fire on my hair, but the wind and the rain wiped it out in an instant before again being reignited. This was the feeling of euphoria, dancing on the cusp of life and death as we flaunted our courage against the powers of old.

Zapdos didn't even have time to finish clustering its lightning defense before we smashed into it, static charges rolling off our skin like water droplets, and landed a critical hit against the legendary pokemon. It spun down towards the waters and we were almost sure that it had been done for, until it snapped open its wings and halted, only meters above the surging sea. It was mad because we had dealt significant damage to it, and we could see its fury from the bolts that burst from irs tips in all directions.

It shivered, and the air around it began to distort, forming irregular shapes. Illuminated by the flashing lightning amidst the rain, we could see rocks being drawn into the space. [Ancient Power]!

"Dodge, now!"

Charizard folded its scaly wings around itself to protect its body, and we dove towards the lurching sea as giant boulders flew past us. A single hit would be devastating, possibly ending the fight in one hit. But Charizard was agile, and he curved in rapid flips to dodge the projectiles. One almost hit us in the flurry, but he struck it with a flaming [Fire Punch] and shattered it into pieces.

We reached the sea level, almost threatening to plummet into the waters itself, and Charizard angled off steeply, wind tearing at our bodies. I saw what he was trying to do, and we neared Zapdos, I gave the order.

"[Seismic Toss]!"

We blew apart another boulder at point blank distance, and grabbed the bird by its non conductive talons. It screeched in indignation as it was swung around in startling momentum before being flung deep into the murky depths below the surface of the waters.

With our panting breaths, it was for certain that the next move would be the deciding factor. Rising up, we watched carefully, scanning for any movement of the bird.

Flashes of electricity shone through the spot where Zapdos had sunk in, and we knew that it was coming, and it was coming with a big attack.

"[Blast Burn]."

Charizard's eyes turned ruby red for a moment, rays of light piercing through the air before us. The temperature, chilling after being soaked in water and slicing through the sky, began to heat up, at first almost imperceptibly, but quickly rising. My vision grew red, and in my partner's mouth an orb of pure heat formed.

At that moment, Zapdos emerged from the sea, visibly angered as the nimbus clouds thundered and sparked. The previous last ditch effort with [Seismic Toss] did a decent amount of damage to hit it where it hurt.

It screeched, scratching at my eardrums, and with tremendous power, called down a hail of thunderbolts, to surround it in a sphere of pure energy. The scale of this [Thunder] was obviously on a different level than before, and likely, anything within half a kilometer of this place would be immediately electrocuted if it went off.

But we were waiting and ready. Charizard released [Blast Burn], and the red scenery grew dark as the heat became unbearable. It created a cloud of steam as it passed through the rain and water vapor, and collided with Zapdos's [Thunder] cage. We were blasted by hot and humid air as the resulting collision tore the sky above the sea apart, resulting in a pillar of flame that engulfed the pokemon's location, accompanied with a myriad of twisting and twining bolts.

I could feel the muscles in Charizard's wings spasm and relax, fatigue coursing throughout his body, and we plummeted down into the sea.

It was by sheer luck that I managed to stay conscious after diving headfirst into the turbulent waves - the impact felt like smacking into a concrete pillar. My head throbbed in frenzied bursts, and I struggled to retain the oxygen in my lungs as I fell further into the murky darkness. Just when my velocity had slowed to nil, I began to extend my arms, and push back up.

After the shock of the impact faded away, the first sensation was of the blistering heat. Charizard's [Blast Burn] still penetrated the area, and short of boiling, probably any wildlife in the vicinity would be currently fleeing to cooler grounds. Not like I had any option to do so, though. My body was sluggish, as if I was swimming in viscous tar. Time seemed to have halted in place, slowed down disproportionately to match my failing lungs, which coursed carbon dioxide into my blood veins in a desperate attempt to extract every last drop of oxygen.

A shadow darted past me, a Horsea fleeing into the darkness. It seemed phantom like, a delusion concepted from my failing brain. I changed directions, following it as if it was a game of tag… Soon after, I breached the surface. The humid air hit me, and I gasped for breath, grateful for release. Looking up, I could see the red afterglow of the sun fading across the sky, remnants of Zapdos's thunderclouds dissipating into the east, colored slightly pink and lavender.

I then realized how tired I was, adrenaline that was once coursing through me fading all at once. I oriented myself to float upon the dense saltwater and spread my arms out, sleep slowly taking me. The cries of seabirds and Wingull sounded off into the distance.

I took several hard jabs to the ribs, which were very sore, before I woke up. Opening my eyes, I was partially blinded by the midmorning light filtering through the window of the hospital room. To my left was Gold, brows furrowing and relaxing in relief. Blue looked in from the doorframe, giving me a thumbs up while smirking.

It didn't take long before Professor Oak and Mother, with Pikachu in her arms, to enter the infirmary and explain what happened while I was out cold.

It seems, that the A.S. Aeroacrophilia managed to land right before the storm hit shore, ten foot waves lapping the breakers and spilling out onto the mainland. It was pretty fortunate that Vermillion was built on raised ground, preventing the most of the damage due to its geography.

Right after landing, the trainer who saw me fly off into the maelstrom reported back to the captain, and the crew sent out a request to the coast guard to brave the tempest. It was only after they saw the pillar of flame burst from the sea to engulf Zapdos did they move in, eventually finding me floating in the water like it was the Dead Sea.

Meh, a little anticlimactic for my tastes. Usually the boat would capsize and horde of Tentacruel would start rampaging on the wave back.

At that point, I was electrocuted by Pikachu and reprimanded for endangering my life even though I was trying to save the lives of others. Eventually, everyone calmed down, and Nurse Joy (looking exactly as spiffy as her other several dozen counterparts) came in to confirm Charizard's recovery. He was only mildly suffering from hypothermia -who knew that even fire-types got hypothermia, although I admit flying at a hundred and fifty kilometers (90 mi.) per hour in rain was reckless- and fatigue so he should be fine with a couple days of rest.

A thought occurred to me, and I then asked Gold, who had lost interest in my condition and pulled out a GameBoy from his pants pocket (Pokemon Fire Red being inserted in the cartridge slot), what day it was.

"It's the 22nd, dummy. You've been out for two days."

Several choice anathemas immediately came to mind. Doesn't that mean that the ship was leaving tonight for Castelia?

"Yup."

Several minutes later, a Chansey was trying to restrain me from jumping out of the second story window. I vaguely remember shouting something about "Rematch with Surge!", but I was probably dreaming. Yes, I was probably dreaming. That would be horribly embarrassing.

Gold and Blue had visited the Vermillion Gym yesterday, only to find that it was under renovation, and that the lieutenant had left for Sinnoh to talk business with the Sunyshore City Gym. Kanto and Johto actually has lot of infrastructure in place to capture wind energy along their extensive shorelines and shared mountain range, but it seemed like we were soon going to divest into solar assets as well.

Well I digress. In the end, I was strapped to a gurney (I apparently had two bruised ribs and a slightly fractured femur - sometime during the battle I got hit by one of the remnants of Zapdos's [Ancient Power] attack) and wheeled up into the S.S. Anne.

And at sunset, while I was in my cabin reading about archeological excavation reports from the Ruins of Alph…

A screech sounded out from the distance, and a wild shockwave shattered the porthole of the room. I looked out, and the majestic figure of a giant bird swooped past into the blazing sun. And I had one response for it.

An angry fist and a hearty, "SCREEEEW YOUUUU!"

I later had to reimburse the company of the S.S. Anne for all of the broken windows caused by its buffoonery.


	9. Chapter 8: SS Anne

A.N. We finally got this done... Getting into the action starting next chapter. Finals come up in two weeks, GL.

Clefairy: The Fairy Pokémon.

Clefairy are considered to be extraterrestrial organisms, rumored to be ancestral inhabitants of the moon. Centuries of historical art and traditional folklore depict the Clefairy descending on falling stars, to give heavenly decrees to their earthly subjects. One of their quirks, the requirement of Moon Stones to evolve into Clefable, does lend suspicion to the moon being their home planet.

However, paleontology and genetics tells scientists that Clefairy have only been around several thousand years, and while truly descending from space, they came down in meteor events by chance, seeking more hospitable environments from whatever star system that they originated from. It could be said that the Clefairy were the first star-travelers in our galaxy, or at least well before humans in the holocene period.

Clefairy are highly social pokémon. On the night of a full moon, the Clefairy come out of their mountainous haunts to dance. They harness the moonlight in their wings -gathered over several nights in ritualistic moonbathing- and float together in large rings. This behavior is not fully explained, but to some conspiracists and fanatics, it is a representation of the Clefairies' desire to return home, calling for some unforeseen power to whisk them away.

Mount Moon is named after the lively and mischievous colony of Clefairy that live there, often pulling pranks on travelers passing through its many caves.

* * *

The sun glared out from behind wispy cirrus clouds, sending warm rays of light over my body. While I was (forcibly) tanning on this hospital gurney on the top deck of the S.S. Anne, the scene before me was chaotic, pokémon and trainers battling all over the boat. Why on earth am I here again?

It came quite late to memory that the S.S. Anne, despite being one of the most prestigious marine vessels of the century, allowed for battling on the decks - the captain a rambunctious old fellow who often became seasick on his own boat - in an elaborate show of the stolidity of the vessel. At least he wasn't as dumb as to say pokémon like my Snorlax and Charizard were allowed on deck (oh, how fun that would be!), but I had to dodge the occasional Rattata [Tackle] gone haywire and the [Water Guns] of the Horsea by frantically wheeling my gurney back lest I tip over the side and into the sea.

Speaking of the captain, he was right next to me, throwing up over the guardrails! I could only reassuring pat him the back as a noncommitted display of camaraderie between two broken men. I'd only assume his first mate did well solo in steering us to our destination; as much as the boundless seas spread out in every direction, I felt like it was a kind of box that limited me, and my pokémon from having fun.

Excluding Pikachu, of course. He was have _great_ fun partying by the pool over there...

I looked away from the deck of fighting trainers and wheeled my way over to lounge chairs closer to the center of the ship. I saw some shady old men passing around some cannabis in the left alleyway, but decided it was unimportant and settled down by a sleeping guy with cerulean hair. Looking closely, what on earth is he wearing? It looked like some bizarre combination of white suspenders with black swimming shorts. Underneath him looked like a splayed out towel, but was actually a cape.

Ah, he opened his eyes and caught me staring. _Look away, look away from this weird person._

"That glint in your eyes, you must be thinking I look weird, aren't you?"

 _Geh._

"Is it because of my luscious hair? Or my stunning abs? Or my fashionable swimwear?"

He started to spout nonsense. _Is this guy just a really big narcissist?_

"I know, I know. You can't tear your eyes from this beautiful Wallace, I'm just too good looking."

In the midst of his monologue - at that point he started making gestures over his face with his hands and wasn't even looking at me- he said something outrageous. Huh? Wallace? Isn't he the Champion of Hoenn?

"You are…"

"That's right!" He sported a revolting smile at me. "I'm _the_ Champion of Hoenn!" He then grimaced. "But if you haven't heard of me... Then none of the girls will have either! I absolutely must come more often to spread my name across Kanto."

 _Please… please don't._

His last few words took me out of my dark thoughts.

"If you must excuse me, I must go, my people call for me!" He rose up from the deck chair to launch himself into the pool in lilting strides, inciting a sigh of relief from me. He's abnormal… but then I'm the one laying on a gurney.

I shifted my body and closed my eyes before wondering, _wait… if he's on this boat, doesn't that mean I might see him at the PWT as well?_ Darn it. Capricious people are the hardest to deal with,

The sounds of yelling from two distinctive trainers wafted over, and I subconsciously shivered. I opened my eyes and lifted my head, but couldn't find them across the deck. Suddenly, a giant shudder passed through the boat and a geyser of water appeared starboard. By the railings, the two idiots Gold and Blue were shouting commands to their pokémon.

"Alright, Gyarados, dive under and use another [Hydro Pump]!"

"Feraligatr, dive down and use [Ice Fang] on it before it finishes charging!"

The roar of an angry Gyarados resounded from the floor and a plume of water shot out into the distance, almost blasting a hole through the nose of the ship. ~Aah, the sound of screaming passengers almost blown away~not.

"Oi, you two morons! Stop trying to capsize the vessel!" An angry and green captain started waving a fist at the them.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this duo…

Professor Oak caught my eye as he was exiting the interior of the ship to join in the festivities up top. And he was certainly dressed for the occasion, wearing swim trunks and an islander shirt with pokeballs and pokémon floral patterns. Very professor-esque. He saw me, stretched out under the sun, and waved, taking the chance to saunter on over and sit in the deck chair that Wallace had previously occupied.

"Red, my boy, how is life going?"

"...Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Why?"

"I'm stuck in a chest and a leg cast, you know?"

"Sorry, bad conversation starter." He rubbed the back of his head. "Anyways, I forgot to give you something back at the lab. It's this." He reached into the pocket of his swim shorts and pulled out two marbles.

"..."

"What?"

"What were you going to do if I wasn't here? Swim with these in your pocket?"

"...yes? Anyways, these are a pet project me and my good friend Sycamore, who is currently in Kalos, have been working on for a while now. These are Mega Stones, and they allow certain pokémon to obtain a temporary form similar to another evolution. This Mega Evolution is something almost unheard of outside of Kalos… and between you and me, this is likely the sole reason why Kalos is inaccessible to us.

"Coincidentally, I've never met Sycamore in my life outside of video chat. We were introduced at last year's pokémon Yellow's Video Game Championships. I'm quite proud to say that I got to the semifinals of that event using my agility Dragonite. Well beaten by the Master Finnich, who later went on to sweep the title."

"And who exactly is this Master Finnich?"

"Ah he's a bug catcher on Route 5."

"..."

"Don't look at me like that! He's a very respectable young man. I think he has what it takes to be a future bug type master in the future. Give him maybe a decade or two, and he'll be running a gym in no time like Bugsy!"

"Anyways, I want you to take care of these two stones for me until the end of the PWT. Give one to your Charizard and put another in your pocket or pokédex or something, ah, remind me to add a function like that to your pokédex, and tell me if anything happens. Feel free to battle with him, in fact, go all for it."

"And if nothing happens?"

"Well then, nothing lost. But if you do lose one of these, I'm charging a million Poké per."

"That reminds me. Why on earth does that guy in Cerulean charge a million Poké for a _bike_?"

"Oh, him? He's actually a secret millionaire, a distant relative of the Stone branch in Hoenn, he just enjoys poking fun at people by charging them outrageously expensive things. Apparently, he also owns a bicycle shop in Johto now, in addition to a bunch of other random places. Why, I accidently stumbled upon an antique store and found a nice Helix fossil for my studies. And by chance, that millionaire happened to own that shop and charged me ten million Poké! You don't know how mad I was then, hahaha…"

"I should throw a brick at him sometime."

Amused and slightly uneasy at my bad attempt of black humor, Oak tried to change the conversation.

"Anyways, speaking of the PWT, there's rumors of Diantha, the Champion of Kalos, coming over to participate. I believe Sycamore told me that she has a Gardevoir that is capable of mega evolution as well. I'll be darned if I miss that sight." He stretched his arms out behind him. "I also heard that Wallace is on this ship, right?"

"...He was sitting where you are about fifteen minutes ago."

"Really?" He asked incredulously. "How is he? He's become an international sensation in Kanto. I'd love to meet him." Oak leaned in. "Don't tell anyone else, but Professor Birch secretly has a poster of him winning the Hoenn Champions title under his bed." He wagged his finger at me when I gaped at him. "I hear a lot of nasty tidbits in my profession. Comes with the social life."

The sound of whooping echoed over, and the Professor turned his glance away for a moment.

"Anyways, keep those stones with you, make sure to record data on your pokédex for me, and do not, _absolutely_ do not speak a word about Birch's poster. If you need any discussion topics or embarrassing secrets about him, just casually mention that he was pantsed at last year's researcher forum and was wearing Ducklett boxers. Swing on by later this evening so I can add a slot in your pokédex, you hear?"

He stood up and folded his shirt on the chair, and produced a pair of swimming goggles from his swimming trunks before giving me a thumbs up and walking away to the pool. I decided to take a closer look at what he handed me. These so called Mega Stones were pockmarked somewhat like pumice, with a rough texture similar to Charizard's scaly hide, but the pockmarks didn't affect the luster and the clarity of the contents within. A helical ovaloid of fire was frozen inside, surrounded by varying reddish hues.

I held the smaller specimen up to the sun, and it seemed to have caught fire in the bright rays, the center lighting up like an especially strong firework. It also became increasingly hot to the touch, as if it greedily sucked up the radiation from the sun. I gingerly put it back down, into the shade, and gave a cursory glance at the larger one, almost the size of an infant's fist. That stone was similar to the smaller replica, scintillating at the rough edges.

If the professor's work is correct, then if Charizard held one of these and I, the other, then he will achieve a fearsome transformation - as if his current appearance wasn't fearsome enough, a fire-breathing omen of terror - but what exactly will cause this transformation? Presumably, this should be like a sort of evolutionary object, similar to how a Flareon reacts to a Fire Stone. However, it wouldn't permanently alter the pokémon. I wonder if Charizard managed to transform with this, how would he end up like? How long would the transformation even last? Can this thing even activate every battle, and if so, where indeed does the energy come from, then?

It might be best just to let things take its course and see what happens. I mentally added investigating the mystery of the Mega Stone to my very long To Do list.

By the time I returned to my room (from an almost deadly incident maneuvering the gurney down a flight of stairs unattended, almost running a person over in the process), I found a freshly showered Blue and Gold in my bedroom -at least I was sure it was my bedroom- giggling like little girls over two mobile consoles.

"..."

"Ah, Red. You finally came back, we've been waiting a long while for you!"

"How did you two sneak through the entrance to the lower decks when I was laying there the whole time?"

Gold piped up. "Porthole was open."

"Port-wha?"

"It was a tight squeeze, but I made it, with some help with Gyarados," Blue flexed his muscles.

"...I'm not even going to continue. Anyways, what are _you two_ doing in my room?"

Gold waved his console. "I found this old thing in your closet. Told Blue to bring his over and now we're going to link these up and play some 'mon. You in? We have two spares with full PCs, courtesy of Blue's dad."

"Which one's mine?"

Gold casually tossed over a console with a Fire Red cartridge inside. On the screen was a flat little pixel character standing by a small pixel PC. I booted the PC up and found old memories, evolved Charizard and Pidgeot sprites stored in boxes named after legendary effigies. _Zapdos Box, Arcanine Box, Mew Box…_

The games themselves were based off of the pokémon in the real world, moves and appendages and all. The pokémon centers were cute little things, red ceiling and white adorned walls with interiors much larger than its exterior size would suggest. But ultimately, the real pokémon centers were not such fanciful buildings, and more of older establishments that had been renovated in order to house the injured pokémon. Expensive machinery like healing compartments and advanced scanners required a city endorsement and an official regulator sanctioned by the pokémon League.

Nurse Joy, and her long line of descendants, were one such group that held the certifications to take proper care of pokémon. The other facilities not certified, were just really generous people who decided to help a trainer in need and had minor training in treating ailments. Anyways, these pokémon centers can be in any shape or form, one particularly outstanding being in the shape of giant Magikarp head, down by Route 35 in Johto, run by a certain Magikarp fisherman…

Anyways, where was I? Ah, nostalgia. Right up until Pikachu burnt this thing up after our return from the Sevii Islands...it seems that these two managed to get the cartridge working again without every battle a MissingNo. and a complete freeze over.

I sat down besides them and hooked up the Link Cable.

"Hey, we're missing a player…"

The door opened roughly, and a jovial old man came in. "Did someone say a pokémon battle?!"

"""No."""

"Bad joke. Nice job finding these, Gold, competitive pokémon video game battling is really the best remedy for an old man's passion for the real sport."

"You mean the whole tangent earlier about that Bug Catcher was in relation to this?"

"Why yes, my dear Red!"

"..."

"Ah, ignore this sourpuss. Are we doing doubles or four-man tourney?"

"Doubles! Nothing better!"

And thus our group went on to play multi battles until two AM in the morning, before ending our event, Even Older Old Man Oak passed out over Blue's reposed body, Gold on the velvet floor (a good substitute for a bed as any, at least in the opinion of four wilderness survivalists), and I in my own bed.

The next day passed in a daze, and I was apparently informed that not only Pikachu last night ate the supper portions of three grown men, he apparently got ahold of Blue's room key, explaining why he was found snoozing in a fancy comforter in a queen sized bed instead of in my room.

There was something about an event with a flock of Tentacruel invading the top deck after someone's Tangrowth managed to send ten pounds of [Rage Powder] off the side of the boat and into a passing cluster during a pokémon battle, but since the ship isn't capsized I'll assume someone fought them off. I can't be the protagonist of every bad event, you know?

By the seventh day, we finally landed in Castelia, some seventeen thousand kilometers from Vermillion. When I was first informed of this, I had to take out the 'dex and crunch some numbers. It seemed unimaginable that we were going almost fifty-four knots the whole time, but the bosun reassured us that it was partly because we were carried along the Kuroshiro and North Pacific surface ocean currents, and that the boat was actually going faster at night to make a strong headway.

That did explain why I found the cap'n frothing in the toilet stall next over when I was taking a leak a couple nights ago. Really, why even be on the ship if you're going to be sick the whole time?

In that time, the Professor did find the Hoenn champion and managed to get an autograph from him. It was more like scribble, though… but the Oak was fine with it and promptly left to spend the next half hour bragging to Professor Birch on video chat. It was surprising to find out that Wallace had a niece, called Lisia, who was also on board the S.S. Anne. She was dressed in a fluffy outfit, something that screamed, 'Contest Spectacular!', but it wasn't over the top like her uncle's. She had a decent enough attitude.

Blue managed to fall overboard in the end, after he was quite roundly smacked into the sea by a Lillipup after failing to pay attention. He came up sputtering on Gyarados's back, and I won't say I wasn't smirking at the spectacle.

I was cleared of the gurney on the last day, opting to use a crutch for my leg and a stern warning not to damage anything else.

The pokédex I got back now has a slot on the front, kind of like an SD card you insert into a camera, that was able to fit the Mega Stone in. Kind of unconventional, but I guess unconventional was my thing to begin with.

The ding of the ship's intercoms rang throughout the hallways, and the speaker told us that we had finally cleared the Port Authority to disembark. I stretched my arms and gathered my bag and my belt full of pokéballs. Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder and we went out of our room to meet up at the exit with the other passengers. We found them and joined in line, headed by a relieved Captain, who upon stepping the ground swayed and promptly fell over.

Meeting Professor Oak and the others, we looked up at the towering buildings from the pier.

"I don't think Celadon can compare to this at all...", Mother exclaimed.

"Say, is there a gym here?", Gold called, excitement in his voice.

The professor gave a cursory glance. "I'm pretty sure Burgh, a bug type trainer, is running one. We might get lucky and find him in later."

 _Hmm. Maybe a gym battle or two to warm up for the World Tournaments? It couldn't hurt...right?_


	10. Chapter 9: Castelia City

I took a two month break .

Butterfree: The Butterfly Pokemon.

Considered to be among the largest insect pollinators in the world, Butterfree engage in semiannual migrations between the northern and southern regions of Kanto and Johto in search of expansive flowering plant gardens secluded from the world. They gather pollen on their legs and body hair, and while flying, pollinate other flowers by scattering them upon the wind, like the many moves they use such as [Stun Spore], [Sleep Powder], and [Rage Powder].

While the species is not immune to water, the scales on their wings are coated in powders not unlike Shield Dust; they are hydrophobic in nature, allowing Butterfree to fly in rain. The pokemon also have a quite potent sense of smell- however, it is not located in their snout-like appendage, but in their antennae. These organs allow Butterfree to sense objects from miles away, avoiding danger or finding flower patches.

The habitat in which Butterfree reside vary wildly among climes, ranging from verdant forests to even suburban skylines. They are very adaptable to local stimuli, some even have been noted to be omnivores and consume small insects and animals to survive. Despite this versatility, Butterfree require clean water in order to survive for any extended period of time.

Their mating cycle begins in courtship during the early days of April, finding partners by showering extravagant displays of pheromones (also known to cause severe allergies to local observers). After finding a mate, the pair lock antennae with each other and float off along the wind. This event does not end until they descend onto the ground, and within several weeks, the female Butterfree will lay a clutch of eggs, which hatch by the end of the month.

* * *

Our group left the pier and the Professor hailed a taxi from the street, taking a twenty minute ride along the boardwalk to a hotel conveniently placed next to the Pokemon Center. While it wasn't as large as the luxurious Hotel Richissime I've heard about in the rumors, it looked quite grand, floors covered by a mirror-like exterior, extending far up into the distance. The clouds, grey and heavy with imminent rain, moved slowly overhead, with the occasional lightning arc flickering between two edges.

Past the glass double doors and inside the lobby were expensive furniture and lavish adornments I haven't seen since the Silph Co building during the Rocket Incident (I've had an aversion towards that place ever since). Plush floors incomparable to the fur of even a Ninetales, and widescreen ultra high definition television sets lining the walls. The lavishness of Unova's largest city suddenly hit me, especially in comparison to wealth found at home. I can only assume that the economic prosperity between this region and Kanto was just on a different level. Was it because of its history as a rich kingdom? Or the prosperity of being the global financial center, which reached its hands over every corporation across International League jurisdiction?

We checked in and obtained our room keys, in the shape of a canine - the pokédex noted it as a Lillipup (it also scans QR codes!) - and wandered around in a daze. Besides whole floors for swimming pools or exercise centers or meeting room, there were also, to our surprise and elation, a floor for trainers to practice with their pokémon or hold mock battles. I retired while the Professor, Blue, and Gold decided to entertain themselves on battles (only to be rudely woken up at two in the morning because two dunces lost their keys and locked themselves out of the room) and went to sleep in anticipation of tomorrow.

Waking up the next morning, it seemed that the overcast sky had cleared up overnight and the sun began rising up from the forest line east of Castelia. Flocks of Pidove and Ducklett -according to my Dex- could be seen flying overhead, slowly passing by the skyscrapers in squawking V shapes.

The World Tournament was slated to sound off in two weeks, so that gave us only a short amount of time to travel past Route 4 to Nimbasa City and across the Driftveil Drawbridge and get to Driftveil City in time for the event. But we had leeway. If it came to it, I could have Charizard shuttle us to Driftveil in only a couple of hours (reminiscent of an _almost_ missed league fight appointment in Cinnabar, leading to mach one flight speeds and shattered windows from the residences that we had passed over) so there wasn't any reason to rush.

We were checked in only for last night, so I got dressed in a blue corduroy and slacks (Mother brought along a suitcase full of clothes), and left the room to the others who were going to sleep in until the front desk called to wake them up. Touching the belt to my waist, I felt the warm spheroids strapped to their holders, admiring the life that lay within, frozen into data stasis.

The technology that is the Pokéball was the work of thousands of engineers and physicists over two decades of research, enabling us to bond closer to the wild and powerful enigmas called Pokemon. Without this, we'd still be trying to tame sentient and willful creatures with physical restraints, leading to destruction and death. Even now, constant communication must be held with our partners in order to form a mutual relationship and respect. This is one of the reasons why only those who scored in the top ten percentile under League examinations starting at eleven years of age were allowed to hold the title of Pokémon Trainer, and given a vetted starter by the League endorsed professor of the region. In my case, it was Professor Oak, who opened my eyes to the vast world.

I exited the building and wandered the streets, admiring the expanse of the cityscape that blotted out the sky and the bustling masses of people and cars moving between streets and intersections. Officers ran rounds at regular intervals, directing traffic and ensuring the peace. I noticed that only pokémon like -according to the Dex- Herdier or Delcatty or Eevee were allowed besides their owners. Apparently large or non-pedestrian pokemon were disallowed from the premises, probably to prevent injury or unintentional vandalism. A Jenny rode past on an Arcanine (at least that hadn't changed), and I bumped into a pedestrian, a little boy in a beret who snickered and transformed into a small dark-furred quadruped and dashed away into the crowd, much to the amusement of the onlookers.

Eventually I found myself standing behind a line that extended half a block down the downtown streets of Castelia, dozens of patrons in wait for some product called a casteliacone. I checked my watch and seeing that it was nearly a quarter to eleven, thought I had enough time to see what the buzz was about and excuse myself to lunch before meeting back with the rest of the group.

I sorely underestimated the length of the line. Even before the view around the corner came in sight I could hear the clamoring of maybe fifty people crowded around what amounted to be a stall in the center of the downtown district. Commercial stores lined down the street, but even with the abundant amount of white collar workers coming in and schoolchildren and shoppers moving about no other establishment had as much of a crowd as the one selling the casteliacones. It was now eleven-twenty. Maybe I should just leave?

As I was about to slip out of line, I noticed a peculiar person situated by the myriad of tables and chairs where people gathered and ate their lunches, staring at me. I caught his gaze and he extended his index finger, as if conspiratorially beckoning me to come to him. I went over, and what he was doing was drawing sketches on an easel, pictures of white and black pedestrians occasionally dabbed with watercolors, which lay strewn across the table. A girl with a wide-brimmed hat in a white sundress staring at signs in front of a store, a father and two children eating besides a leafy tree with low hanging fruit (which I learned later were Cherubi), and myself, blue blotches dabbed across my front corduroy and looking helplessly lost.

"Did you need something? These are some nice paintings you've made."

"Nah. I just thought that you looked familiar...are you from around here?"

"No. I'm a tourist."

"I see. Well, it's certainly a good time to go on vacation to Unova. In a couple weeks the Pokémon World Tournament is starting, you know? A lot of people from all over the world, even outside the League jurisdiction will be coming to Driftveil to see the best of the regions compete against each other. Are you planning on seeing the festivities?"

"Yeah."

"That's great! Maybe I'll see you there." He winked, and finished dabbing the red banner of the Casteliacone stand behind my figure before wiping at his brow, half covered by ginger hair under a red beret. "Ah, I'm Burgh. I'm the incumbent gym leader for Castelia. Nice to meet you."

"The same."

We shook hands and I checked my watch again: eleven-forty. I should probably get lunch and meet back up with everyone else. After bidding goodbye to Burgh, I began walking away and heard him call after me.

"Hey, I didn't get your name!"

I turned around and mouthed, "Red", before brushing down my pants and taking leave.

An hour later I met up with Blue and Gold at the Pokémon Center after I had enjoyed a soothing lunch in a quiet place called Café Sonata. Pikachu, who spent the last day wandering around with the two, clambered onto my shoulder and I took my hat from him, opting to put it snugly over my brown locks. It was growing a bit long, maybe I should get a trim soon.

"So, where are we going now?" Gold asked, munching on an ice cream cone. _Where did you pull that from?_

"I say we go to the Castelia gym. Gramps showed me where it is", Blue brought out his dex, opening out the map function from the menu. It zoomed in the location of where we were, and then outlined a yellow route to where the gym was located. How handy. Can it tell me how to get out of a cave as well? Although I just usually wander around until I find an exit or use an escape rope...

"All in favor? Aye."

"Aye."

"..." I nodded my head.

The mediator grinned, and then began to pull us out the Center, Joy's prim 'goodbye' echoing past the doors.

We found ourselves outside a gaudy building, windows of stained glass towering down from at least three stories up. The front side tilted back into the structure, the shape of a pokeball plastered above the overhang of the double doors.

Inside, we were greeted by two clerks at a center counter, who pointed out that the gym was also a training center for pokemon and an art gallery (one of them jokingly pointed out that the gym leader had so much art that Studio Castelia refused to hold all of it so he made his personal gallery).

"Alright. Who gets to go first?", Blue questioned. His voice was tinged with anticipation.

"I'll go first!" Gold jumped forward and made a pose.

I raised my hand and took a step.

We looked at each and Gold bared a feral grin.

"Alright...Rock…", I wound my arm back.

"Paper…", Blue was already throwing his fist out.

Scissors!"

I walked into the arena triumphant while the other two hung their heads and took the stairs up to the viewing platform.

The metal doors closing behind me and I found myself in a surreal world, dark metal floors and walls covered in all sorts of webbing, casting elongated shadows (thanks, strategic light placement) all over the place. Spindles of white reached out to grasp the ceiling, cut out to show multiple floors above. Already with a feeling of apprehension, my nervousness was amplified when a hand suddenly clasped me on the shoulder, making me jump in fright.

A man in his mid thirties faced me, shaved head and glasses reflecting off the dim lighting. He smirked for a couple of seconds before I kicked him in the shins, mouth warping into a silent yowl.

"!... Okay, I deserved that…" He hopped around for a little while before he returned (with ice on his knee procured from who knows where) and handed me a flashlight.

"I'm going to take a breather in the break room. There's the staff exit if you need me to explain anything." He limped away again. Ah. So he was the gym guide. Oops.

I have to say, for my first gym back in civilisation, it isn't very impressive. Trainers came out of the woodwork -literally- and kept sending out ittie bittie pokemon called Sewaddle and Dwebble at us. I could tell that they weren't very trained, since a single [Tackle] from Pikachu could knock them all out, but at least the floor design wasn't too lame. I mean, crawling around on string tightropes and through vertical tubes were a pain and probably a hazard to my back, but it was surprisingly well crafted. Apparently the webbing also served as a net to catch trainers who fell down (not like I did), which was pretty well designed.

I finally ended up at the last hurdle which involved scaling web walls and a 3d maze to find myself back on the first floor, looking at the largest spindle that spun itself all the way up to the top of the chamber. Behind me was a blockade of white, impenetrable fibers that prevented me from seeing the entrance. No way but in, right?

After exiting the tunnel, in which case was a surprisingly comfortable wooden staircase within a metal tube, I emerged from the floor to find myself blinded by light. After my eyes had adjusted to the odd lighting, I could see the sun from outside the ceiling windows filter inside. It lighted up a carpet of dyed silk strewn across the floor and canopying from the rafters. In between the multitude of webs were glass cases with paintings inside. Paintings of the gym, bug pokemon, and Burgh.

"Ah, it's you, the one I met back besides the Casteliacone shop. So, you were a trainer, huh?"

I glanced away from the paintings to find a familiar beret.

"I guess."

"Well, welcome to my sweet crib!" Burgh did a flourish. "Designed by _moi_ , it combines both aesthetic and practical sense. Perfect for my bug pokemon to go crazy. Plus, a perfect environment to engage in art."

I looked around. "How about fire?"

"Well, I'd request for you not to burn my building down, but I have already installed some precautions in case. The webbing is all fire retardant, my cases shock resistant, and with a touch of a button," He then raised a paintbrush shaped remote in his hand (steadily dripping paint), and pressed the bottom tip. "The healing rooms can be accessed just next door." The painting behind him shifted over a couple meters to open a cavernous entrance, bright with clinical lights leading down into another hallway.

"Ah. I have to remind you, though. No Wailord or Steelix in here or [Earthquake]s and [Explosion]s. I don't have the space capacity or the structural integrity to support giant craters in my floor. We do have an outside field for that."

"Oh," I replied, letting a little bit of disappointment tinge my voice. Unova gyms are quite eccentric compared to Kanto's and Johto's. Brock's gym in Pewter is just a dirt mountain at the center of a football-sized warehouse, layered with boulders (making the whole event a dodge and run festival), and Jasmine's gym in Olivine was almost completely empty bar the arena. Although she did take an expensive loan for a gigantic underground rototiller...I wonder if I should check up on that.

"So, does that mean that this floor is really made of silk?"

Burgh waved it off. "Oh no, while a floor completely made of silk from Ariados string would be a novel concept, it would be impossible in terms of funds and capital. Instead, underneath the floor is insulated concrete with a thin polymer webbing on top of it to give the impression of spider webbing.

"I am looking into conductive webbing, though." I looked up. "There is a type of pokemon, named Galvantula, who are able to shoot out electrified fibers from their thorax. How amazing would that be? Ah, sorry, I got a little too passionate." _Huh? Did he see my eyes glaze over already?_

"Anyways, lights, please! Time to show you what bug-type Pokemon are made of!"

He clapped his hands, and the ceiling windows began shifting outwards, letting in the full brunt of the midday sun.


End file.
